4 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
4 candidates · ballot order · Katie Hobbs currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Lowering everyday costs for Arizona families — childcare, housing and utilities — which she has made the centre of her advertising.
Protecting reproductive freedom in Arizona.
Border security, including state funding for enforcement, while opposing mass deportation and state police enforcement of federal immigration law.
Balanced budgets and tax cuts she has signed, presented as evidence of fiscal discipline.
Working across party lines with a Republican legislature, and using the veto against bills she judges harmful.
New regulation of sober living homes after fraud in the sector.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Governor of Arizona since January 2023; secretary of state 2019-2023; minority leader in both chambers of the Arizona legislature; formerly a social worker.
Has vetoed more bills than any governor in Arizona history, passing the previous record of 181 set by Janet Napolitano over six years; she added 88 vetoes in the 2026 session alone, on schools, wolves and elections.
Vetoed a Republican bill that would have increased local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration officers.
Signed new requirements and regulations for privately operated sober living homes.
Her administration approved an out-of-cycle rate increase in May 2023 for Sunshine Residential Homes, a group home company that gave more than $500,000 to her inauguration and the state Democratic Party. Attorney General Kris Mayes concluded in 2026 that no crime was committed and declined to charge; reviews by the state Auditor General and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office remained open as of early September 2026.
Was unopposed in the July 21 2026 Democratic primary.
Chose former Mesa mayor John Giles, a longtime Republican now registered independent, as her running mate.
Arguments in favor
She has delivered concrete results with a legislature controlled by the other party — cutting taxes, lowering childcare costs, balancing the budget and creating jobs — and has done it without the drama Arizona had before.
— Katie Hobbs for Governor campaign
Her veto record is the thing standing between Arizonans and a Republican legislature's agenda on schools, elections and immigration enforcement.
— Katie Hobbs for Governor campaign
Picking John Giles — a Republican former Mesa mayor — as her running mate is evidence the bipartisan framing is real rather than rhetorical.
— Katie Hobbs for Governor campaign, as reported by NBC News
Arguments against
'Over the past three years Katie Hobbs has proven she's in over her head and out of touch with everyday Arizonans. She vetoed legislation to crack down on fentanyl dealers, opposed the Secure the Border Act, and even supported taxes on groceries at a time when families can least afford it.'
— Republican Governors Association
Voters should not trust a governor whose administration has been under criminal investigation over a pay-to-play scandal, in which a donor's group home business received favourable treatment. Her campaign calls the charge political theatre and notes the attorney general found no crime.
— Andy Biggs for Governor advertising campaign
Her administration gave Sunshine Residential Homes a special rate increase in May 2023 with no justification, after the company gave more than $500,000 to her inauguration and the state party; the reviews should continue.
— State Senator David Farnsworth and Senate President T.J. Shope, at a September 2026 news conference
What we couldn’t verify
The outcomes of the still-open Auditor General and Maricopa County Attorney reviews of the Sunshine Residential rate increase.
Her second-term plan for Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account voucher programme, which she has previously sought to restrict, could not be established from a source read directly.
Her position on the Colorado River shortage negotiations beyond a general water policy commitment.
Lowering costs by growing the economy, cutting taxes and reducing regulation.
Border enforcement: a Border Security Task Force targeting transnational criminal organisations, and expanded use of the federal 287(g) programme.
Faster election rules and tighter election administration.
Protecting life from conception and removing federal tax treatment or funding for abortion.
Opposing federal climate regulation and expanding domestic energy production.
'Restoring sensible water policy' and rolling back federal authority in favour of state control.
Broad Second Amendment rights.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for Arizona's 5th congressional district since 2017; former chair of the House Freedom Caucus.
President of the Arizona Senate before entering Congress; served in the Arizona legislature from 2003.
The House committee that investigated the January 6 2021 attack reported that he urged President Trump not to concede and worked to organise Arizona Republican legislators behind a pro-Trump slate of electors.
Voted for the 2025 federal budget reconciliation law that reduced Medicaid spending.
Voted against the release of the Epstein files.
Opposed Arizona's Medicaid expansion as a state legislator.
Won the July 21 2026 Republican primary with about 74% over Representative David Schweikert.
Chose former state senator Sine Kerr as his running mate for lieutenant governor.
Arguments in favor
He is the only candidate promising to eliminate Arizona's income tax outright, and would pair it with deregulation to bring costs down for families and businesses.
— Andy Biggs for Governor campaign
He would put state resources behind border enforcement — a task force aimed at cartels and expanded 287(g) cooperation — where the incumbent vetoed a bill to increase local police cooperation with federal immigration officers.
— Andy Biggs for Governor campaign and the Republican Governors Association
He has President Trump's backing and consolidated the Republican field decisively, winning about three-quarters of the primary vote against a sitting congressman.
— Turning Point Action and President Donald Trump
Arguments against
He voted for Medicaid cuts and against releasing the Epstein files, in lockstep with the Trump agenda rather than with Arizona's interests.
— Katie Hobbs, in her 'Big Problem' digital ad
He has a long record of attacking access to health care and abortion care, including opposing Arizona's Medicaid expansion, which should alarm patients.
— Arizona physicians and progressive groups, as reported by Arizona Mirror
As Arizona Senate president he protected the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints sect by refusing to hear a bill targeting corruption in the Colorado City and Hildale police department.
— Katie Hobbs, repeating claims originally made by Republican state legislators
What we couldn’t verify
How eliminating the state income tax — roughly the largest single source of Arizona general fund revenue — would be paid for; no replacement plan was located.
Whether he would sign a further restriction on abortion given Arizona's 2024 constitutional amendment protecting abortion access.
His position on the Empowerment Scholarship Account programme's cost controls.
Whether he would resign his House seat before the general election.
Won the July 21 2026 No Labels Party of Arizona gubernatorial primary, 5,077 votes to 4,039, over a better-funded opponent backed by party leadership.
Has not held elected office.
Named Angela Harrolle Mohan, a registered independent, as her running mate for lieutenant governor in August 2026.
We found no published arguments for or against this candidate.
What we couldn’t verify
Her stated policy positions could not be established from a source read directly, so no positions are listed rather than filled in from the national No Labels platform.
No organised advocacy for her candidacy and no criticism of her by name from an opposing campaign or outlet could be found, so no arguments are listed on either side.
Won the July 21 2026 Green Party gubernatorial primary with 430 votes to 202 for Carlos Melendez, the party-endorsed write-in candidate.
Served as an Arizona Republican Party precinct committee member until days before filing a statement of interest to run as a Green Party candidate.
Maricopa County records show she was registered as a Democrat from 2006 to 2016, voted in Republican primaries in 2022 and 2024, and registered with the Green Party in 2025.
Sold 'Kari Won' merchandise in 2023 and supported Republican campaigns.
The Arizona Green Party has said publicly it has no affiliation with her — 'She's a Republican trying to hijack our ballot line' — and has asked the Arizona Secretary of State to remove her from the general election ballot.
Has not held elected office.
We found no published arguments for or against this candidate.
What we couldn’t verify
Her stated policy positions could not be established; no campaign website or platform document was located.
The outcome of the Arizona Green Party's request that the secretary of state remove her from the general election ballot.
No organised advocacy for her candidacy and no criticism of her by name from a rival gubernatorial campaign could be found, so no arguments are listed on either side; the Green Party's own repudiation is recorded above as a fact.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Democratic incumbent Katie Hobbs is seeking a second term. Roster established from Wikipedia's race page, Arizona Capitol Times, Arizona Mirror, KJZZ and PBS/AP reporting, cross-checked. The primary was July 21 2026: Hobbs was unopposed for the Democratic nomination; U.S. Representative Andy Biggs won the Republican nomination with about 74% over Representative David Schweikert; Teri Ann Hourihan won Arizona's first No Labels gubernatorial primary; and Risa Lombardo won the Green primary over a party-endorsed write-in. 2026 is the first Arizona election in which governor and lieutenant governor run as a joint ticket, under Proposition 131 (2022): Hobbs's running mate is former Mesa mayor John Giles, a longtime Republican now registered independent; Biggs's is former state senator Sine Kerr; Hourihan's is Angela Harrolle Mohan. Hourihan and Lombardo are listed with empty argument sections — no organised advocacy for either and no criticism of them by name from an opposing campaign was found, though the Arizona Green Party's public repudiation of Lombardo is recorded as a fact in her record.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Arizona ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.