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PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs’ campaign is attacking her most likely Republican opponent for dodging debates, even though she hasn’t faced an opponent on stage in nearly a decade.
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The latest dust-up began late last week when Gov. Hobbs’ political operation criticized U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs for skipping a Republican-organized primary debate.
The statement came from Copper State Victory, the group running coordinated campaigns for Arizona’s top Democrats.
The criticism immediately raised questions about whether Hobbs’ side is vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy, given the governor’s own record.
Hobbs has spent decades in public office, but examples of her debating are hard to find in recent years.
The last time Arizona voters saw her participate in a televised debate was in October 2018, when she was running for secretary of state.
Four years later, Hobbs ran for governor in a race that drew national attention. But she refused to debate her Republican challenger, Kari Lake, despite mounting pressure.
Asked whether her campaign’s criticism of Biggs conflicts with her own debate history, Hobbs pushed back. She argued she is already giving voters all the information they need to make their decisions.
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“I am here answering hard questions, and I think that’s giving information to Arizonans that they need to hear about what I’m doing as governor,” Hobbs said.
Taking questions from reporters, however, is different from debating an opponent.
Whether debates matter remains a recurring argument every election cycle.
Historically, only a small share of voters watch full debates. But longtime political strategist Chuck Coughlin said they still play an outsized role in defining candidates and their campaigns.
“From the large sense they do matter because … they should give the public an opportunity to see clear distinctions between the candidates,” Coughlin said.
The biggest unanswered question now is whether Hobbs will debate in the general election this fall. For now, she is not committing either way.
“I will answer questions about the debate after the primary, yes,” Hobbs said.
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