Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs will not be debating her Republican challenger Andy Biggs in Arizona’s gubernatorial race this year, reviving the “No Debate Kate” moniker coined by conservative critics during her 2022 campaign. Biggs already committed to participate in the October 6 Clean Elections debate.
Nicole DeMont, the governor's campaign manager, made the announcement on July 30. "Face-to-face engagement with Arizonans is more effective than a stage designed for short soundbites and political theater,'' she said. DeMont said Hobbs would engage with voters instead on her Arizona First Tour around the state, where she has done more than 100 open-press events and interviews this year.
Hobbs herself has said little about her choice not to debate. She said during an interview in May that she found them “vapid” and that recent debates she watched “delved into a circus.” Hobbs told the KTAR show Bruce and Gaydos, “I don’t know what voters get out of that.”
Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services criticized Hobbs’ alternative plan. “Some of what Hobbs has called her Arizona First Tour, however, have been events arranged ahead of time, with a list of those who are invited to give their views to the governor,” he said. “And that is far different than a debate where each candidate is asked questions by a moderator, and each then can immediately respond to what the other has stated.”
Biggs called the refusal “a little bit cowardly” during a radio interview last month. “The fact that she won’t debate indicates pretty clearly that she can’t defend her record,” he said on The Mike Broomhead Show. “If you can’t defend your record, you should probably be disqualified.” He also called it a shame, and noted that debates allow mutual questioning on policy, emphasizing that he has been meeting voters across the state yet can still make time for a debate.
Drew Sexton, an advisor to the Biggs campaign, said in a statement, “Arizona voters, especially the independent and persuadable voters up for grabs this cycle, 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.”
Political analysts and critics often view a candidate's refusal to debate as dodging scrutiny or signaling an unwillingness to defend their record. Polling frequently shows voter preference for debates, especially among independents. A study from Berkeley Public Policy Press found that “voters overwhelmingly prefer debates as the primary mode of campaign communication.”
During the last presidential campaign, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that over half of both Republicans and Democrats believed it was very important for their candidate to debate.
Hobbs previously refused to debate Kari Lake when Lake ran against her in 2022. She also refused to debate her primary opponent that year, former Nogales Mayor Marco Lopez. Hobbs used to participate in debates. She debated her opponent in the 2018 secretary of state’s race.
Biggs has also refused to debate previously in races during 2016, 2022 and 2024. He had no significant opponents in 2022 or 2024. In 2016, he had no significant Democratic opponent in the general election (CD 5 is a heavily Republican district). Earlier this year, Biggs turned down a PBS debate with his primary opponents, but participated in a Clean Elections debate.