Katie Hobbs cruised to re-nomination in Arizona on Tuesday, winning an unopposed Democratic primary and moving straight into the 2026 general election race for governor. She did it after spending roughly $7 million on campaign ads even though she had no primary challenger.
That spending was not meant to wait for fall. Hobbs said Monday she was building a campaign to win, not to stockpile money, and that the race would be close. “We are running the race we need to win, and it is going to take a lot to get there. We know it's going to be a close race,” she said.
Hobbs, a former Arizona Secretary of State, is trying to make the case that the money bought more than visibility. Her ads leaned into Arizona's economic gains and her efforts to work with the GOP-controlled legislature, while also reaching out to independent and Republican voters. It is the kind of early message a governor usually reserves for a hard fight, not a primary she was expected to win without opposition.
That is because the real contest is still ahead. Hobbs narrowly defeated then-GOP nominee Kari Lake four years ago, and she is now heading into a battleground general election with the Republican nominee still to be chosen. Rep. Andy Biggs is among the Republicans in that race, backed by President Donald Trump and the political wing of Turning Point USA.
The field is not limited to the two major parties. The Libertarian Party, the Green Party and No Labels are also putting candidates on the ballot, but the governorship is still likely to turn on the Republican primary and whether Hobbs can repeat the kind of tight win she claimed four years ago. For now, she has the nomination. The harder test begins when Arizona decides who gets to challenge her.
