Gov. Katie Hobbs remained quiet on her pick to become Arizona's first lieutenant governor, although running mates for two more gubernatorial candidates were solidified on Aug. 7.
The gubernatorial candidates
faced an Aug. 7 deadline from the Secretary of State's Office, which cited concerns that county officials wouldn't have enough time to print ballots with each candidate's selection on them if campaigns waited longer.
Arizona law only requires candidates to submit the names at least 60 days before the general election, which would be Sept. 4. But officials said the final ballot print deadline was 75 days before the election, meaning county leaders needed more time to receive candidate selections.
Republican Andy Biggs, No Labels candidate Teri Ann Hourihan and Green Party candidate Risa Lombardo all submitted names to the Secretary of State's Office by the close of business Aug. 7.
Michael Beyer, communications director for the Hobbs campaign, told The Arizona Republic, “As the governor has said, when we have an announcement we will make one.”
John Giles, the former mayor of Mesa, was previously reported as Hobbs' selection by The New York Times.
Giles was a longtime registered Republican before switching to "No party preference" in May, according to his voter registration record. He received national attention for endorsing several Democrats in the past, including Hobbs and former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The reported selection came after several other attempts from Hobbs to court independent voters, including a batch of new television advertisements and the recently launched "Arizona Over Party" coalition. The group features several Republicans and independent leaders backing Hobbs' campaign, including Giles.
This will be Arizona's first election to include lieutenant governor candidates.
Biggs, the Republican nominee, tapped former state Sen. Sine Kerr as his running mate. Kerr has a wide agricultural background, having owned a dairy farm for more than 40 years. She was also recently selected by the Trump administration to serve as the state executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency in Arizona.
No Labels candidate Hourihan selected small business owner Angela Harrolle as her running mate. Harrolle is a former federal special agent and was the chief executive officer of the 100 Club of Arizona, a nonprofit providing resources to law enforcement officers, firefighters and their families.
Green Party candidate Lombardo picked Intensive Care Unit coordinator Lisa Castillo as her running mate. Lombardo's campaign has faced criticism from the Green Party, which has accused her of being a "sham candidate" running with the intent of splitting the vote in favor of Republicans.
The candidates are hoping to expand their voter base with their running-mate picks as what is expected to be a hotly contested gubernatorial election draws closer.
What does the lieutenant governor do?
In Arizona, the lieutenant governor will be next in line if the governor cannot perform the responsibilities of the office. That role previously went to the secretary of state.
The governor can also appoint their lieutenant governor to serve as director for the Department of Administration or any other position within the governor's purview.
When was the position created?
Arizona voters approved the position of lieutenant governor in 2022 when it was offered as Proposition 131. Before its creation, several secretaries of state took on the governor's office from an opposing political party.
The ballot measure passed by 10 percentage points after receiving bipartisan support.
Republic reporter Stacey Barchenger contributed to this article.
Helen Rummel covers state politics and higher education for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at hrummel@azcentral.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @helenrummel.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 1 pick is missing as gubernatorial candidates select running mates
