{"id":2598433,"date":"2026-05-04T09:54:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T13:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizonas-governor-race-dynamic-set-to-shift-with-running-mate-picks\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T09:58:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T13:58:18","slug":"arizonas-governor-race-dynamic-set-to-shift-with-running-mate-picks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizonas-governor-race-dynamic-set-to-shift-with-running-mate-picks\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona\u2019s governor race dynamic set to shift with running mate picks"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Farizonas-governor-race-dynamic-set-to-shift-with-running-mate-picks%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2598433&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Arizona is preparing for it&#8217;s first election that includes a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pennsylvania-lieutenant-governor-to-run-for-senate-seat-being-vacated-by-gops-toomey\/\" title=\"Pennsylvania ... to Run for Senate Seat Being Vacated by GOP...s Toomey\">lieutenant governor candidate<\/a> on the ballot,after voters approved creating the office in 2022 and setting 2026 as the first time gubernatorial candidates must choose running mates. The change will also shift the line of succession: lieutenant governors will replace the governor first, rather than the secretary of state, which matters in a competitive \u201cpurple\u201d state where power can swing between parties.<\/p>\n<p>The article highlights how the new running-mate requirement could influence ticket strength, though strategists disagree on how much it will change overall vote totals.On the Democratic side, Governor Katie Hobbs (seeking reelection) is a leading contender, with possible lieutenant-governor picks mentioned such as Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, former Mesa Mayor John Giles, and former state senator Anna Tovar. On the Republican side, attention centers on contenders andy Biggs and David Schweikert, with Biggs seen by some as favored due to establishment MAGA credentials and Trump\u2019s endorsement, while Schweikert is described as perhaps a better match for the general election in polls that may not fully reflect him.<\/p>\n<p>If Biggs wins the nomination,the article suggests he could choose a legislative or former-lawmaker running mate,but it questions whether he would select someone moderate enough to expand appeal beyond his conservative base.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/arizona\/\">Arizona<\/a> is gearing up for its first election with a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lieutenant-governor\/page\/6\/\">lieutenant governor<\/a> candidate on the ballot, after voters established the office a few years ago. <\/p>\n<p>The state is one of only a handful across the country that does not have a lieutenant governor. But in 2022, residents approved a proposition to create the office and make the 2026 election the first time gubernatorial candidates must select a running mate. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4553238\/thune-scott-barr-kentucky-senate-endorsement-trump\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Thune and Scott follow Trump\u2019s lead with endorsement of Andy Barr<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4551701\/supreme-court-voting-rights-act-ruling-2026-redistricting-impact\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Supreme Court scrambles 2026 maps, sets up larger redistricting fight beyond<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4551927\/biden-backs-keisha-lance-bottoms-georgia-governor-first-post-presidency-endorse\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Biden backs Keisha Lance Bottoms for Georgia governor in his first post-presidency endorsement<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-does-it-matter\">Why does it matter?<\/h2>\n<p>The change means lieutenant governors will now be first in the line of succession to replace the governor, whereas in the past, Arizona\u2019s secretary of state was first. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The development is a critical one for Arizona because, since 1988, its secretaries of state have had to succeed the governor three times and have hailed from the opposition party in two of those cases, noted Democratic strategist Adam Kinsey. In a purple state like Arizona, ensuring voters understand which candidates are in the line of succession is key to parties maintaining power. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople will now understand what the line of succession is, and there will not be a big party change if the governor has to vacate their seat,\u201d Kinsey, a consultant with ties to Arizona through the media firm Uplift Campaigns, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4468422\/2026-midterm-election-races-competitive\/\"><strong>HERE ARE THE MIDTERM RACES THAT ARE ACTUALLY COMPETITIVE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, when you\u2019re voting for secretary of state, a lot of people still don\u2019t necessarily know what the secretary of state does,\u201d he added. \u201cPeople don\u2019t realize that the secretary of state has a chance of being governor. They don\u2019t realize that\u2019s the line of succession, and so this was a way to actually name your site, name your lieutenant governor, so people will know who the lieutenant governor is going to be.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s key in a swing state like Arizona, where voters have, in the past, selected a member of one party for secretary of state and the opposing party for governor. In 1988, Democratic Secretary of State Rose Mofford became governor when Republican Evan Mecham was ousted on an impeachment conviction. In 2009, Republican Secretary of State Jan Brewer became governor after Democrat Janet Napolitano resigned to become Homeland Security secretary. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe balance of power in Arizona has been shifting pretty dramatically,\u201d Kinsey said. \u201cWhere we were very solidly red, now we\u2019re very purple, and so the chance for it to change from one party to the other is pretty real.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jon Seaton, a Republican political strategist with deep ties to Arizona, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that the state has become more competitive in recent years, due in part to its high growth rate. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think people are very tied to that Western individualistic kind of ethos in Arizona \u2014\u00a0people want to be able to make their own way,\u201d he said. \u201cBut certainly, anytime you bring in hundreds of thousands of new people into a state, some things will be different in terms of just the makeup of the population and the ideology.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt used to be a very red state, which I think now, over the last 10 years or so, has trended a little bit more purple, Seaton continued. \u201cI still think it\u2019s more center right, but it certainly is not the safe Republican seat that it once was.\u201d <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-who-could-be-arizona-s-first-lieutenant-governor\">Who could be Arizona\u2019s first lieutenant governor?<\/h2>\n<p>Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) is the top Democratic contender on the 2026 gubernatorial ticket, as she runs for reelection. Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and David Schweikert (R-AZ) are the leading Republicans duking it out for their party\u2019s nomination ahead of the July 21 primary. Independent candidate <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tucsonsentinel.com\/local\/report\/041626_lytle_independent\/court-clears-way-entrepreneur-hugh-lytle-run-arizona-governor-as-independent\/\">Hugh Lytle<\/a> is also running on the No Labels ticket. <\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4479775\/four-takeaways-first-primary-election-2026\/\"><strong>FOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM THE FIRST PRIMARY ELECTION OF 2026<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Gubernatorial nominees must <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-set-to-assume-key-role-selling-trumps-white-house-agenda-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Vance set to assume key role selling Trump&#039;s White House agenda - Washington Examiner\">select running mates<\/a> after the primary election and at least 60 days before the Nov. 3 general election. This means final nominees must name their running mates by early September. <\/p>\n<p>While Kinsey said having a running mate on the ticket could be an opportunity for someone like Hobbs or Biggs to balance the ticket, Republican strategist Stan Barnes said it could make little difference. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe lieutenant governor nominee cuts both ways for the governor nominee, that it is a person who attracts voters and it is a person who repels voters, and so it\u2019s probably a wash when it comes to improving the nominee\u2019s success potential, unless it\u2019s a belly flop, unless it\u2019s really a bad choice, and then it just becomes a negative,\u201d Barnes, a native Arizonan and founder of Copper State Consulting Group, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>On the Democratic side, a number of names are being thrown around as <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >potential lieutenant governor picks<\/a>, Kinsey said, including Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, former Mesa Mayor John Giles, and former state senator Anna Tovar. <\/p>\n<p>Romero is a pick that would excite the base, Kinsey said, though she would be more on the progressive wing. Gallego, though \u201cwell-liked,\u201d has several years left to her mayoral term, so Kinsey said he doesn\u2019t view her selection as \u201ca real possibility.\u201d Giles is a moderate Republican who backed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and could be an \u201cinteresting choice,\u201d Kinsey said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Hobbs] would probably go moderate on her lieutenant governor pick, would be my guess,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe hasn\u2019t really done anything to upset the Republican voters that voted for her three years ago, but this would certainly be another opportunity for her to demonstrate, \u2018Look, I\u2019m not too liberal for you, I\u2019m not too liberal for the state,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI think they may look at that opportunity and say, \u2018Okay, let\u2019s just get a centrist, somebody with executive experience, probably, that will maintain our coalition that we\u2019ve built.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Seaton said there are \u201ca lot of names being thrown around\u201d in political circles and suggested that a running mate wouldn\u2019t have a significant impact on the gubernatorial race. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe vast, vast majority of the voters, they really are focused on the top of the ticket,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are times when adding someone who gives you either kind of geographic balance or gender balance, or kind of ideological balance, or kind of fill a need that you might have as a candidate, that certainly can be taken into consideration. I don\u2019t know that it moves a ton of votes, but it certainly can strengthen a ticket, depending on the project.\u201d <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-would-biggs-build-an-electable-ticket\">Would Biggs build an electable ticket?<\/h2>\n<p>Political strategists told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>they see Biggs as the favorite to win the Republican nomination, given his establishment MAGA credentials and President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump\u2019s <\/a>endorsement. But Barnes, the native Arizonan Republican strategist, warned against bagging the race for Biggs, pointing to Schweikert\u2019s powerful campaign style and describing him as \u201ca guy who knows how to win tough elections.\u201d Kinsey argued that Schweikert would hold up better against Hobbs in the general election than Biggs but that the polling isn\u2019t reflecting such.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Schweikert still is a much better matchup to capture sort of that center, center-right vote in Arizona than Biggs is, but that\u2019s just not the way the polling works right now,\u201d he said. \u201cBiggs being the Trump of Arizona is not a great general election matchup, and Schleicher would certainly not run that way in the general election.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4490058\/ramaswamy-ad-buy-competitor-fundraising\/\"><strong>RAMASWAMY TAKES $10 MILLION AD BUY AFTER DWARFING DEMOCRAT COMPETITOR IN FUNDRAISING<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If Biggs clinches the GOP nomination, there are multiple legislators or former state lawmakers he could pull as a running mate, Kinsey said, though he cast doubt on whether the congressman would craft an electable ticket. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis general election chances really hinge on him bringing home those Republicans who voted for all the Democrats over the last few cycles,\u201d he said. \u201cAndy Biggs is a pretty conservative guy \u2026 so chances that he would bring in somebody that was really moderate seemed to be pretty low. It just doesn\u2019t seem like that would really fit his brand \u2026 Theoretically, he would probably pick a familiar [running mate who is] not going to raise a lot of eyebrows.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arizona readies its first lieutenant governor ballot after voters approved the office in 2022<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2598436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26012863843355.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[79065,38355,51159,32504,79066],"class_list":["post-2598433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-arizona-governor-race","tag-election-dynamics","tag-gubernatorial-election","tag-political-strategy","tag-running-mate-picks"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26012863843355.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2598433"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2598438,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598433\/revisions\/2598438"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2598436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2598433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2598433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2598433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}