Former President Barack Obama backed Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs' reelection in a new video touting the Democratic incumbent's record on taxes and bipartisanship.
In the 45-second video, Obama directly addresses voters concerned about the high cost of living, noting Hobbs has "made it her mission" to lower costs. He says she eliminated taxes on rent, tips and overtime. Hobbs signed bills into law repealing those taxes, though each originated with Republicans.
Hobbs said in a statement she was honored to have Obama's support.
“He embodies leadership driven by integrity, unity, and a commitment to putting people first," she said. "Those are values I share, and the kind of leadership I’ve sought to deliver as governor."
Obama backed Hobbs four years ago,
when she won her first term, and made a campaign stop in Phoenix that year. Obama is campaigning in Michigan this month for the party's gubernatorial and Senate nominees but no visits to Arizona before polls close on Nov. 3 have been announced.
The video was released a day before President Donald Trump's planned visit to Arizona, where he will stump for Republicans on the ballot. Andy Biggs, the five-term Republican congressman hoping to beat Hobbs, is slated to speak before Trump.
The Obama video and Trump rally highlight a similar priority: energizing faithful Republican and Democratic voters to cast their vote in a race that could come down to a few percentage points.
An internal Hobbs campaign poll made public by the news site Politicoearlier this week showed Hobbs ahead of Biggs by just 4 percentage points, within the poll's margin of error. Another early October poll from Phoenix's HighGround Public Affairs showed Hobbs with a 17-point lead, a snapshot of voter sentiment and anger over Trump's policies. The HighGround poll showed 13% of Republican voters surveyed said they would defect to support Hobbs.
Biggs' campaign quickly dubbed Obama a "liberal elitist" and noted he never won Arizona. Trump by comparison won Arizona twice, though his defeat here in 2020 helped cost him a consecutive second term in the White House.
"Andy Biggs and Sine Kerr will happily take the support of Arizona leaders like Governors Jan Brewer and Doug Ducey, who fought to secure our border, keep Arizonans safe, lower taxes, and actually won our state multiple times instead of a liberal who was repeatedly rejected by Arizonans," Biggs' campaign adviser and spokesperson Drew Sexton said in a statement.
Early voting began a week ago, and Election Day is Nov. 3.
Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Barack Obama backs Gov. Katie Hobbs in new video
