Katie Hobbs, now in her second year as Governor of Arizona, released a $16 billion budget proposal for the 2025 fiscal year on January 12. It included investments in affordable housing, water conservation, border security, and childcare assistance, but two items on the ticket stood out above the rest – abortion and election integrity.
Gov. Katie Hobbs Reflects On First Year In Office
Hobbs reflected on what she described as ‘incredible progress’ during her first year in office – which she secured after a close victory over Republican nominee Kari Lake. Hobbs finished with 1,287,891 votes (50.32%), while Lake had 1,270,774 (49.65%) – a win of just 17,117 votes.
“Arizonans are counting on us to make the state we call home the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” Hobbs wrote in her proposal. “We made incredible progress during my first year in office, and my Executive Budget proposal builds on this foundation and expands opportunities for every Arizonan to reach their full potential.”
Hobbs Continues Her Fight For Free, Fair, And Secure Elections
With 2024 being an election year, Hobbs wants her fellow Arizonans to know that their vote matters – despite many Republicans challenging the integrity of Arizona’s elections. Last year, she secured $2.3 million to invest in free, fair, and secure elections – while also establishing a bipartisan election task force to increase trust.
“We’ve invested millions to support free, fair & secure elections ahead of 2024. That’s it. That’s the tweet,” she wrote in a post on X – the day after releasing her budget proposal. It includes funding for the local elections, presidential primary, state primary, and general election.
Arizona Was Accused Of Voter Fraud In 2020
Not long after Donald Trump contacted Georgia state officials in an attempt to overturn the results of the general election, the former President called former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. Trump’s request was simple: to investigate claims of election fraud in the state.
Arizona’s 2020 general election was a close one. Joe Biden had 1,672,143 votes (49.36%), while Donald Trump finished with 1,661,686 votes (49.06%) – a difference of just 10,000 votes. As a result, Trump and his MAGA loyalists were vocal about potential election fraud and skewed polls.
Maricopa County Received The Most Criticism
Maricopa County played a vital role in Biden’s 2020 win in Arizona. It was a county Trump won in 2016, but it was a narrow victory – a sign that a shift was coming. That shift came in 2020, when Biden became the first Democrat to win the county since Harry S. Truman did it in 1948.
That, of course, fed into the belief that the election was ‘rigged.’ Trump was having a hard time accepting the fact that he lost a key battleground state (and county), so an investigation was launched by the Arizona Senate – which came to a conclusion in September 2021.
Investigation Found No ‘Credible Complaints’ Of Voter Fraud
There were more than 638 complaints of election fraud, which resulted in 430 investigations by state agents. Trump was hoping those investigations would help his case, but they actually hurt his case – Biden gained 99 votes as a result, while Trump lost 261 votes. No evidence of fraud was found.
“The results of this exhaustive and extensive investigation show what we have suspected for over two years – the 2020 election in Arizona was conducted fairly and accurately by elections officials,” Attorney General Kris Mayes wrote in a statement in February 2023, following the release of the audit.
Hobbs Continues To Support and Protect Reproductive Freedom
Election integrity wasn’t the only thing on Katie Hobbs’ budget plan for fiscal year 2025 (Sept. 29, 2024 to Sept. 27, 2025). She’s also maintaining her push to protect reproductive freedom and abortion rights – ensuring her fellow Arizonans have full control over what they do with their bodies.
“Reproductive freedom is not a partisan issue. Women from all walks of life deserve access to the healthcare we need, to have our rights protected, and to make the personal decisions we deem best for ourselves and our families,” Hobbs wrote in a post on X on January 25.
Signed Executive Order Gives Arizona Residents Control Over Their Body
Last year, Hobbs signed an executive order roughly one year after Roe v. Wade was overturned (by Donald Trump). One of the primary components of the order was centralizing authority over any and all abortion-related prosecutions – and directing it all to the Attorney General’s office.
Now, in 2024, she’s proposing a package of bills in an effort to ‘repeal Arizona’s near-total abortion ban, enshrine the right to contraception in Arizona law, and end the invasive government practice of collecting and reporting data on abortions in the state,’ according to a post by Hobbs on X.
Trump and MAGA Loyalists Threatening To Ban Abortion
Donald Trump continues to brag about his role in overturning Roe v. Wade – something he campaigned on in 2016. He outlined his mission to appoint ‘pro-life’ Supreme Court judges, which he did by appointing Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett during his term.
Five Justices ended up voting to overturn Roe v. Wade – three of those five were appointed by Trump. “After 50 years of failure, with nobody coming even close, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade, much to the ‘shock’ of everyone,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social in May 2023.
Kari Lake Appears To Switch Stance On Abortion
Kari Lake, who ran for Governor of Arizona in 2022 and is now running for the United States Senate, was always a heavy supporter of overturning Roe v. Wade – arguing that abortion laws should be left to the states. She even called abortion the ‘ultimate sin’ and aligned herself as a major Trump ally.
Now, Lake is changing her stance on abortion as she fights for a seat in the US Senate. She recently clarified that she doesn’t support a federal ban on abortion, but still believes it should be up to the states. And as long as it’s up to the states, Katie Hobbs will do whatever possible to ensure Arizonans keep their reproductive freedoms.
