April 18, 2022
Katie Hobbs for Governor State of the Race Memo
Entering the heart of campaign season, Katie Hobbs is the only candidate on either side of the aisle with a clear path through the primary – a massive advantage that allows her to stay squarely focused on winning the general election from now until November. While her opponents are forced to spend tens of millions of dollars just to fight for a spot in the general election, Katie continues to build the campaign infrastructure that puts her on a strong path to victory this fall.
Hobbs’
Grassroots Fundraising Dominates the
Field
Katie has now surpassed the largest
grassroots fundraising haul of any Arizona
gubernatorial candidate in history. This
election cycle, Katie has raised $3.67
million for her gubernatorial race without
any self-funding. She raised more money
through the end of March than Governor
Ducey raised during his entire 2018
campaign. Her support comes from tens of
thousands of donors who have helped her
smash Arizona’s record for small
contributions, with nearly 90% of the
campaign’s donations coming in at less
than $50.
In the past three months, Katie raised
more money than her primary opponents
combined. She now boasts more than twice
as much cash on hand as any of the leading
Republican candidates, and twice as much
cash on hand as her next closest primary
opponent – all of whom will be forced to
spend every last dollar before August to
emerge from their primaries. Katie’s
resource advantage cements the frontrunner
status she entered the race with last year
and gives her a sizable lead going into
the general election campaign.
Looking
to November, Hobbs Expands
Leadership Team
The Hobbs campaign continues to build up
its staff infrastructure to prepare for
the general election. In March, the
campaign announced the
addition of four new senior staffers:
Campaign Manager Nicole DeMont, Political
Director Whitney Walker, Finance Director
Rose Huerta, and Digital Director Lacy
Nelson. These women bring the strategic
vision, robust experience, and diverse
perspective needed to lead this campaign
to victory.
Crowded
Republican Clown Car Continues To Veer
Off Course
With less than four months to go, the
vitriolic Republican primary race to the
bottom is as unsettled as ever. Conspiracy
theorist Kari Lake has been touring
the country with Trump
still looking
for ways to overturn the 2020 election and
has maintained a notable lead in poll
after poll. Wealthy political insider
Karrin Taylor Robson is unsuccessfully
trying to buy a spot in the general
election with $4 million of self-funding.
An “SNL
caricature of a politician,” Robson
hopes her millions are enough to hide that
she’s a member of Arizona’s political
royalty and entrenched with the special
interests. While Robson and Lake compete
to be the most far-right version of
themselves, they’re both already earning a
reputation for lying
to Arizona voters in their ads.
Matt Salmon, Steve Gaynor, Paola
Tulliani-Zen, and Scott Neely also
qualified for the ballot, further
complicating every other Republican’s path
through the primary.
With Experience as a Social
Worker, Hobbs Releases Comprehensive
Plans for a Better Arizona
Throughout her career as a social worker,
Katie served the most vulnerable Arizonans
and saw firsthand the very tangible
consequences of failed state leadership.
She worked with families who were priced
out of their homes and forced to live on
the street, victims of domestic violence,
seniors without access to health care, and
children who couldn’t finish school
because of a lack of support. Since our
elected officials weren’t getting the job
done, Katie stepped up to run for office
herself and brought her unique experiences
as a social worker to Arizona’s state
government, first as a state legislator
and then as Secretary of State. Katie
understands the root causes of our state’s
toughest challenges and used her
background to develop the most robust and
comprehensive policy plans of every
candidate in the field. These plans
include:
- The Affordable Arizona plan to put more money back in Arizonans’ pockets to help address the increased cost of living;
- The Inclusive Arizona plan to break down barriers for people of color who have been systematically locked out of opportunity;
- The Accountable Arizona plan to build an accountable government that is of, by, and for the people;
- And the Voting Rights plan to ensure every eligible Arizonan has access to the ballot.
With more plans on the way, Katie continues to prove she’s the only candidate with the knowledge and experience to finally tackle the challenges Arizonans are looking to their leaders to solve. And it shows:
Capitol Times: Katie Hobbs Revs-up Campaign, Releases Economic Plan
KJZZ: Hobbs Defends Early Voting, Urges Justices to Reject GOP Lawsuit
Arizona Mirror: Hobbs: Parents Should Be ‘Partners’ In The Education System, Not Adversaries
12 News: “Katie Hobbs Also Has A New Endorsement, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero.”
Hobbs
Builds on Diverse Coalition of
Support
Earlier this month, Katie’s grassroots
support was on full display when she
submitted nearly 17,000 signatures –
collected by an all-volunteer effort – to
secure her spot on the ballot. And within
the last two months, Katie has earned key
endorsements from local leaders and
organizations including Tucson
Mayor Regina Romero and
the American
Federation of Teachers Arizona. This
builds on key endorsements from local,
state, and national leaders including:
- Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters
- International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers, and Helpers Local 627
- International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 36
- American Federation of Teachers Arizona
- Anna Tovar, Arizona Corporation Commissioner
- Steve Gallardo, Maricopa County Supervisor
- Rex Scott, Pima County Supervisor
- Sen. Lela Alston
- Sen. Sean Bowie
- Sen. Lupe Contreras
- Sen. Kirsten Engel
- Sen. Jamescita Peshlakai
- Sen. Martin Quezada
- Sen. Rosanna Gabaldón
- Rep. Andrea Dalessandro
- Rep. Pam Powers Hannley
- Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton
- Rep. Cesar Chavez
- Ginny Dickey, Fountain Hills Mayor
- Regina Romero, Tucson Mayor
- Randy Keating, Vice Mayor of Tempe
- Lauren Kuby, Tempe City Councilor
- Berdetta Hodge, Tempe School Board Vice President
- Marie Lopez Rogers, National League of Cities President, former Avondale Mayor, former Maricopa County Supervisor
- Garrick McFadden, Phoenix civil rights lawyer
- Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association
- Democrats Serve
- Arizona List
- EMILY’s List
- Fund Her
- Vote from Home
The
Bottom Line
With six months until the general
election, Katie Hobbs is commanding the
race by amassing the resources, policy
plans, and statewide support to win in
November. Never having lost a race, Katie
is the only candidate on either side with
the strength and experience to fight and
win – and get to work delivering real
solutions to the problems facing Arizonans
today.
Katie Hobbs for Governor
March 15, 2022
KATIE HOBBS’ CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES TOP LEADERSHIP, ALL WOMEN OF COLOR
PHOENIX — Today, Katie Hobbs’ campaign for governor announced new leadership for her campaign: Campaign Manager Nicole DeMont, Political Director Whitney Walker, and Finance Director Rose Huerta. All women of color, these new additions to the team contribute years of political experience and leadership to Hobbs’ growing campaign.Nicole DeMont leads the team as Campaign Manager. Prior to joining Team Hobbs, DeMont most recently served as Deputy National Political Director at the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, where she worked to secure fair congressional and state legislative maps across the country. DeMont has also worked as a senior advisor to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and served as California State Director for Senator Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential run.
Whitney Walker, JD, heads up the political team as Political Director. An accomplished legal and public policy professional with experience at all levels of government, Walker most recently served as the Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy at Planned Parenthood Arizona. She has a proven record of working with advocates to end cycles of violence and poverty and has served on the Impact of Domestic Violence and the Courts Committee for the State of Arizona.
Rose Huerta will now lead Katie Hobbs’ historic fundraising efforts as Finance Director after serving as Deputy Finance Director since March 2021. She came to the Hobbs campaign after working on the finance team for congressional candidate Gina Ortiz Jones in 2020, a competitive congressional race in Texas where she managed a $3 million call time program resulting in a total of more than $6.8 million raised. She also served as a legislative aide at the Texas legislature in 2019.
“Nicole, Whitney, and Rose each bring the strategic vision, robust experience, and diverse perspective that we need to deliver the best for all Arizonans,” said gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs. “I’m confident that their leadership will elevate our campaign to even greater heights, and I’m excited to get to work with these women to make Arizona an even better place to live.”
###