John Giles left the Mesa mayor's office committed to remaining in the Republican Party, but joined Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs' ticket as an independent.
Giles said it simply became "a lost cause" to continue to advocate for the GOP, a party that drew him in with ideals of free enterprise and limited government but that he said has been forcing out more voters.
"I felt like I needed to be there to advocate for people like myself that were being shoved out of the party," he said. "A few months ago I realized that that’s a lost cause right now. Independent is a good place for me to be, it accurately describes where I’m at politically.”
Giles was a lifelong Republican who left the party in May, and is now not registered with any political party. He
has supported Democrats, including Hobbs in 2022 and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris in 2024. He spoke at the Democratic National Convention that year.
Hobbs, who is seeking a second term in office this year, named Giles her running mate on Aug. 11. They have declined to be interviewed by The Arizona Republic, but took questions from reporters after a campaign event on Aug. 15 in Mesa.
The event was billed as an introduction of Giles and drew a friendly group of about 100 people to his law office, Udall Shumway. Giles said those supporters had a choice: Republican gubernatorial hopeful Andy Biggs, who Giles dismissed as "Washington Andy" for prioritizing partisan politics, or "Arizona Katie," who would tackle the state's nonpartisan issues.
Giles acknowledged that other than past partisan affiliation, he has a lot in common with Hobbs, who has campaigned on issues that often align with conservative ideals like tax cuts and growing business.
Asked to identify something they don’t agree on, Giles said there was "remarkably little or nothing."
They might differ on approach, he said. "But we share a common agenda for what our priorities are going to be and those are nonpartisan agenda items," Giles said, naming transportation and education.
On some of the state's most high-profile issues, the pair is aligned. Hobbs and Giles agree there should be guardrails on the state's school voucher program and supported a ballot measure enshrining abortion rights in 2024, for example.
Hobbs said Giles' role in her second term, if she is elected again in November, had not yet been determined. By law, he must serve as her chief of staff, head of a state agency or another role that the governor gets to appoint.
"As mayor he brings so much expertise in the work he did in Mesa to grow the economy, to expand educational opportunity, and so I’m really excited to have that in my administration and we’ll figure out where that fits best," Hobbs said.
First elected by a sliver four years ago, Hobbs is asking Arizonans to give her a second term in what is likely to be one of the toughest gubernatorial races in the nation. For the first time in state history, the campaign includes choosing a running mate to serve as lieutenant governor. Arizona voters created the position in 2022, and that person would fill the shoes of the governor if the governor cannot complete their term.
Biggs, a longtime congressman and former state lawmaker, previously chose Sine Kerr to be his No. 2 if he is elected. Kerr was a dairy farmer for decades and represented a conservative district stretching from the West Valley to Yuma in the state Senate.
Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Katie Hobbs' running mate John Giles says GOP is a 'lost cause'
