By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — After swirling questions of a possible debate in the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial election, voters now have an answer.
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The campaign team for Gov. Katie Hobbs announced Thursday that she will not debate GOP challenger Rep. Andy Biggs leading up to the November general election.
Hobbs’ campaign manager Nicole DeMont said the decision was made “because face-to-face engagement with Arizonans is more effective than a stage designed for short soundbites and political theater.”
Gov. Hobbs has been traveling on the campaign trail across the state. Her team said she heard from farmers, small business owners, healthcare providers and working families about their concerns.
The campaign team also pointed to Gov. Hobbs’ several open press events and interviews in which she answered questions about her achievements.
Biggs responds
Despite not participating in a gubernatorial debate, Hobbs’ team criticized Rep. Biggs as “a Washington insider who has refused to participate in past debates and forums and refuses to answer for his record.”
Drew Sexton, senior adviser to the Biggs for Arizona campaign, responded to Hobbs’ decision, saying she is trying to avoid the debate stage.
“The independent and persuadable voters up for grabs in Arizona deserve to hear from statewide candidates in a traditional debate setting, one that was held in every Arizona gubernatorial race since 1954 until Katie Hobbs ran for the position in 2022,” Sexton said.
Sexton said all other Arizona Democratic candidates in 2022 and 2024 participated in debates, “but Katie Hobbs thinks the rules don’t apply to her.”
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Biggs’ campaign said the GOP candidate will participate in the Clean Elections Debate on Oct. 6.
Hobbs’ political debate history
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.
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 told Arizona’s Family political editor Dennis Welch that 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.
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