--- title: "Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs selects ex-Republican John Giles as running mate" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-selects-ex-republican-john-giles-as-running-mate" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-selects-ex-republican-john-giles-as-running-mate" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-selects-ex-republican-john-giles-as-running-mate.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-selects-ex-republican-john-giles-as-running-mate" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-11T14:05:35.090Z" source_reported: "2026-08-11T12:48:02.706Z" updated: "2026-08-11T14:05:35.090Z" trust_score: 85 critic_score: 90 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-11T14:00:25.694794+00:00" --- # Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs selects ex-Republican John Giles as running mate *Hobbs, the most vulnerable Democratic governor, picks a former Republican mayor to bolster bipartisan appeal ahead of November 2026 election* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 85 of 100, higher is better. Two full reports corroborate key facts; 11 digests agree on central claim. - Craft 90 of 100, higher is better. Both full reports quote affected parties and separate fact from comment. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Headlines are measured; body text matches tone. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs selected John Giles, a former Republican mayor of Mesa, as her running mate on 11 August 2026. - Giles, who switched his party affiliation to independent in May 2026, has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump and endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024. - Hobbs is considered the most vulnerable Democratic governor in the U.S. and faces Republican Rep. Andy Biggs in the November 2026 election. - Arizona will elect its first lieutenant governor in January 2027, following a 2022 ballot measure to establish the position. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, announced on 11 August 2026 that she had chosen John Giles, the former mayor of Mesa, as her running mate for the November 2026 election. Giles, who served as Mesa’s mayor from 2014 to 2025, was a registered Republican for decades before switching his party affiliation to independent on 17 May 2026. He voted in the Democratic primary in July 2026, according to county voting records. Hobbs is running for re-election against Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, who selected Sine Kerr, a former state lawmaker and farmer, as his running mate. Hobbs is widely regarded as the most vulnerable Democratic governor in the country, having won her 2022 race against Republican Kari Lake by a narrow margin. Republicans have since expanded their voter registration advantage over Democrats in Arizona. Giles has been a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump and endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. He also supported Hobbs in her 2022 gubernatorial race and backed Arizona’s Democratic U.S. Senators, Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego. As mayor of Mesa, Giles signed a proclamation promoting equal treatment for LGBTQ+ residents in housing and accommodations, a move that drew controversy in the conservative city. Arizona will elect a lieutenant governor for the first time in January 2027, following a 2022 ballot measure that established the position. The state was previously one of five without a lieutenant governor, with the secretary of state next in line for the governorship. Five of Arizona’s last 12 governors entered office through succession rather than election. ## What the coverage left out None of the 13 reports below, including the two full articles, mentioned the criminal investigation into Hobbs referenced in the abc15 Arizona digest. The investigation, which involves a rate hike for a state contractor that donated to Hobbs and the Arizona Democratic Party, was not covered by any left- or centre-rated outlet in the material provided. No right-rated outlet ran the story at all. ## Who covered it Shares of the 14 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 57% (8) - Centre: 43% (6) - Right: 0% (0) 0 of 14 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-11T14:00:25.694794+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 3 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-11T14:45:26.728Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The six left-rated digests led on Hobbs’s selection of Giles as a strategic move to appeal to Republicans and conservative independents. They noted Giles’s history as a Republican and his recent switch to independent status, as well as his criticism of Donald Trump and endorsement of Kamala Harris. The Associated Press’s full report, reprinted by several outlets, included Giles’s statement that he had tried to save the Republican Party but eventually gave up the effort. - The left-rated reports also highlighted Giles’s record as Mesa’s mayor, including his support for LGBTQ+ rights and his role in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Associated Press quoted a statement from the Biggs campaign, which accused Giles of being aligned with Hobbs on policies that had "hurt Arizonans" and described him as an "aspiring Democrat" since voting for Joe Biden in 2020. ### Centre - The seven centre-rated digests focused on the bipartisan nature of Hobbs’s ticket, framing Giles’s selection as an overture to conservative voters. They noted that Arizona’s Republican voter registration advantage had grown since Hobbs’s 2022 victory and that Giles’s background as a former Republican mayor of Mesa could help her appeal to that bloc. The Washington Top News full report described Giles as a conservative who still identifies as such but left the Republican Party after concluding it could not be saved. - The centre-rated digests also mentioned Giles’s membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a group that has traditionally voted Republican but has shown ambivalence toward Trump. The Washington Top News report quoted Hobbs’s statement that her selection of Giles should not surprise supporters, as she takes a "nonpartisan approach" to governance. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 12 - veryHigh: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Axios](https://axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/08/11/katie-hobbs-john-giles-lieutenant-governor-running-mate) — Hobbs picks former GOP Mesa Mayor Giles as her running mate - [NBC News](https://nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-chooses-former-republican-running-mate-re-elec-rcna590946) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican as running mate in re-election bid - [Washington Top News](https://wtop.com/national/2026/08/democratic-arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-chooses-former-republican-mayor-john-giles-as-her-running-mate) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican Mayor John Giles as her running mate - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/united-states/democratic-arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-chooses-former-republican-mayor-john-giles-as-her-running-mate/article_ca896079-91dd-52ac-bb66-75ab86b6bc83.html) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican Mayor John Giles as her running mate - [The Seattle Times](https://seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/democratic-arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-chooses-former-republican-mayor-john-giles-as-her-running-mate) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican Mayor John Giles as her running mate - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/katie-hobbs-john-giles-lieutenant-governor-arizona-3d7d3b6ed775c18025263d8d3c430f55) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican Mayor John Giles as her running mate - [WKMG](https://clickorlando.com/news/politics/2026/08/11/democratic-arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-chooses-former-republican-mayor-john-giles-as-her-running-mate) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican Mayor John Giles as her running mate - [KOB 4](https://kob.com/ap-top-news/democratic-arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-chooses-former-republican-mayor-john-giles-as-her-running-mate) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican Mayor John Giles as her running mate - [The Hamilton Spectator](https://thespec.com/news/world/democratic-arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-chooses-former-republican-mayor-john-giles-as-her-running-mate/article_dc100b13-5b53-5a82-bab6-cb281662e3cd.html) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican Mayor John Giles as her running mate - [The Record](https://therecord.com/news/world/democratic-arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-chooses-former-republican-mayor-john-giles-as-her-running-mate/article_ab0b5167-568f-586c-be7a-6eaaa1554915.html) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican Mayor John Giles as her running mate - [St Catharines Standard](https://stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/world/democratic-arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-chooses-former-republican-mayor-john-giles-as-her-running-mate/article_ddfe0ce0-01d4-5554-8d61-d6ee5bffd71d.html) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican Mayor John Giles as her running mate - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/faith/2026/08/11/democratic-arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-chooses-former-republican-mayor-john-giles-as-her-running-mate) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican Mayor John Giles as her running mate - [Fox 10 Phoenix](https://fox10phoenix.com/election/2026-election-katie-hobbs-picks-john-giles-her-lieutenant-governor-running-mate) — 2026 Election: Katie Hobbs picks John Giles as her lieutenant governor running mate - [abc 15 Arizona](https://abc15.com/news/politics/what-to-know-about-criminal-investigation-into-gov-katie-hobbs) — What to know about criminal investigation into Gov. Katie Hobbs ## Questions **Why did Katie Hobbs choose John Giles as her running mate?** Katie Hobbs selected John Giles, a former Republican mayor of Mesa, to appeal to conservative voters in Arizona. Giles switched his party affiliation to independent in May 2026 and has criticised Donald Trump, making him a strategic choice for Hobbs’s re-election bid in a state where Republicans hold a voter registration advantage. **What is John Giles’s political background?** John Giles was a registered Republican for decades before switching to independent in May 2026. He served as mayor of Mesa, Arizona’s third-largest city, from 2014 to 2025. Giles has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump and endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. **When will Arizona elect its first lieutenant governor?** Arizona will elect its first lieutenant governor in January 2027. The position was established by a 2022 ballot measure to clarify the line of succession for the governorship. Until then, the secretary of state remains next in line. **Which outlets did not cover the Hobbs-Giles story?** No right-rated outlet ran the story about Katie Hobbs selecting John Giles as her running mate. The 13 reports provided were all from left- and centre-rated outlets, with none from right-rated sources. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-selects-ex-republican-john-giles-as-running-mate. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs selects ex-Republican John Giles as running mate", https://mediabias.news/politics/arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-selects-ex-republican-john-giles-as-running-mate