By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Following a roundtable with local pediatricians in Tucson, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and her running mate for lieutenant governor, former Mesa Mayor John Giles, sat down to discuss the key issues facing southern Arizona families, from rising healthcare costs to public school closures with Tucson Now’s Makayla Goos.
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Hobbs addressed concerns raised by doctors over Arizona’s strict 50% developmental delay threshold for early intervention services, well above the national average, noting the benchmark is statutory and pledging to examine reforms while bracing for upcoming federal Medicaid eligibility hurdles in 2027.
Addressing recent elementary school closures in Tucson’s Amphitheater Public Schools district, Hobbs laid out two major education funding priorities for a second term: reining in Arizona’s universal Empowerment Scholarship Account voucher program and renewing Proposition 123. Hobbs argued that cracking down on unmonitored voucher spending could redirect hundreds of millions of dollars back into public classrooms, while extending Proposition 123 distributions from the State Land Trust would protect education funding without raising taxes.
Giles, a Republican on the ticket with the Democratic incumbent, stressed that resolving education shortages and protecting children’s healthcare should transcend party politics.
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Pushing back on the perception of a Maricopa County-centric ticket, Giles pointed to his statewide work with mayors across Arizona and emphasized that bipartisan cooperation is essential to tackling local challenges, remarking, “This governor is looking for solutions that don’t have an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ next to them.”
On economic development and regional infrastructure, both candidates urged greater community input, whether regarding contracted immigration detention facilities in southern Arizona or the influx of new tech and data centers. While Giles highlighted his past track record attracting tech employers, he cautioned that high-tech growth cannot come at the expense of local resources, emphasizing that state leaders must carefully balance new investments against the power and water demands placed on surrounding neighborhoods.
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Watch the full conversation below.
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