Katie Hobbs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Katie Hobbs
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Hobbs in 2024
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| 24th Governor of Arizona | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Doug Ducey |
| 21st Secretary of State of Arizona | |
| In office January 7, 2019 – January 2, 2023 |
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| Governor | Doug Ducey |
| Preceded by | Michele Reagan |
| Succeeded by | Adrian Fontes |
| Minority Leader of the Arizona Senate | |
| In office January 5, 2015 – January 7, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Anna Tovar |
| Succeeded by | David Bradley |
| Member of the Arizona Senate from the 24th district |
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| In office January 7, 2013 – January 7, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Don Shooter |
| Succeeded by | Lela Alston |
| Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 15th district |
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| In office January 10, 2011 – January 7, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | David Lujan Kyrsten Sinema |
| Succeeded by | John Allen (redistricted) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kathleen Marie Hobbs
December 28, 1969 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Patrick Goodman
(m. 1996) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Northern Arizona University (BSW) Arizona State University (MSW) |
| Signature |  |
Kathleen Marie Hobbs (born December 28, 1969) is an American politician. Since 2023, she has been the 24th governor of Arizona. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming governor, she served as the Secretary of State of Arizona from 2019 to 2023. She was also a member of the Arizona Legislature from 2011 to 2019.
Katie Hobbs grew up in Arizona. She earned degrees in social work from Northern Arizona University and Arizona State University. She was first elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010. Then, she was elected to the Arizona Senate in 2012. From 2015 to 2019, she was the Senate minority leader. In 2018, she was elected as Arizona's Secretary of State.
In 2022, Hobbs won the election for governor of Arizona. She won against Republican candidate Kari Lake.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Katie Hobbs was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She has a twin sister named Becky. Her family was one of the first to be born in Arizona. She grew up in Tempe in a middle-class family. Sometimes, her family needed help with food. She went to Catholic schools and finished high school in 1988.
Hobbs went to Northern Arizona University. She earned a bachelor's degree in social work in 1992. Later, she studied at Arizona State University. There, she received a master's degree in social work in 1995.
After college, Hobbs worked as a social worker. She also helped manage the Sojourner Center. This is one of the largest centers in the country that helps families dealing with domestic violence. She also taught social work classes at Paradise Valley Community College and Arizona State University.
Beginning Her Political Career
Before running for office, Katie Hobbs took part in political leadership programs. These programs helped her learn about politics. She was also a representative for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in 2008.
Hobbs served on two commissions in Phoenix. These groups helped with issues for women and human services. From 2013 to 2019, she was the executive director of Emerge Arizona. This organization helps women get involved in politics.
Serving in the Arizona House of Representatives
In 2010, Hobbs was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives. She represented the 15th legislative district. She served one term in the House of Representatives. After that, she decided to run for the state Senate in 2012.
Serving in the Arizona Senate
Hobbs was elected to the Arizona Senate in 2012. She was reelected in 2014 and 2016. She represented the 24th legislative district. In 2015, she became the minority leader in the Senate. This means she was the main leader for her political party in the Senate. She served two terms in this role.
Hobbs did not run for another term in the State Senate. Instead, she decided to run for Secretary of State.
Secretary of State of Arizona
The 2018 Election
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On March 8, 2017, Hobbs announced she would run for Arizona Secretary of State. In the 2018 election, she ran against Republican Steve Gaynor. At first, some news outlets said Gaynor had won. But as more votes were counted, Hobbs's lead grew. On November 16, Hobbs was officially declared the winner. She won by about 20,000 votes. She was the first Democrat to hold this job since 1995.
Her Time as Secretary of State
Hobbs became Secretary of State on January 7, 2019. In Arizona, there is no lieutenant governor. This means the Secretary of State is next in line to become governor if something happens to the governor.
The 2020 Arizona Election Review
In 2021, some Arizona Senate Republicans wanted to review the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County. Hobbs said that the way the review was being done was not proper. She said it seemed more focused on "conspiracy theories" than on a professional review. Because of her comments, Hobbs received threats. Security was assigned to protect her and her staff.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, which had mostly Republicans, agreed with Hobbs. They said the claims of election fraud were "false" and "defamatory."
The review was done by a company called Cyber Ninjas. This company had no past experience with election reviews. Its owner supported the claims of election fraud. In September 2021, the auditors released their report. They found no proof of fraud. Their recount actually showed that the winning candidate, Joe Biden, had won by even more votes.
Governor of Arizona
The 2022 Election
On June 2, 2021, Hobbs announced she would run for governor of Arizona. The current governor, Doug Ducey, could not run again.
Hobbs won the Democratic nomination with a large number of votes. She then faced Republican candidate Kari Lake in the general election. Hobbs chose not to debate Lake. She said she did not want to give Lake a chance to spread false claims about elections. Hobbs won the election by a small margin. After the election, Lake did not accept the results and tried to challenge them in court. However, the Arizona Supreme Court did not agree to hear Lake's lawsuit.
Her Time as Governor
Hobbs became governor on January 2, 2023. She had a private ceremony first, then a public one a few days later. She is Arizona's fifth female governor. This is a record for any U.S. state.
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Since becoming governor, Hobbs has issued several executive orders. These are official commands. For example, she made rules to prevent state agencies from treating people unfairly based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or hair texture. She also created new groups, like a commission to oversee prisons and a commission to help with homelessness and housing.
Vetoes
On April 18, 2023, which was her 100th day in office, Hobbs set a new record. She vetoed 63 bills passed by the Republican-majority legislature. A veto means the governor rejects a bill so it does not become a law. The old record was 58 vetoes.
Some of the bills she vetoed had passed with support from both parties. One of these was about small food businesses. It became a big topic of discussion. By May 19, Hobbs had vetoed over 100 bills in just five months.
Immigration
In January 2023, Hobbs suggested expanding a scholarship program. This would allow immigrant students who do not have legal documents to attend state universities and colleges.
In May 2023, Hobbs announced new bus routes. These routes would help transport migrants from small border towns to Tucson. In December 2023, she ordered the Arizona National Guard to the border with Mexico. They were there to help federal officials manage many migrants arriving.
Medical Debt Forgiveness
In March 2024, Hobbs announced that Arizona would use $30 million from federal COVID-19 relief funds. These funds would be used to forgive medical debts for Arizonans. The money will go to an organization that buys medical debt from hospitals. This could help forgive up to $2 billion in debt.
Housing
In March 2024, Hobbs vetoed a bill about housing. This bill aimed to make it easier to build more homes in Arizona. It would have removed some rules that cities have for new housing. Hobbs said the bill went "a step too far" and had "unclear outcomes."
Personal Life
Katie Hobbs is married to Patrick Goodman. They met in church in 1992 and got married in 1996. Patrick Goodman works as a child therapist at Phoenix Children's Hospital. They have two children and live in Phoenix.
Hobbs is Catholic. She enjoys being active. She is a triathlete and has been an enthusiastic cyclist since high school.
See also
In Spanish: Katie Hobbs para niños
Images for kids
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Katie Hobbs's signature
