PHOENIX — With early ballots about to land in Arizona mailboxes, Republican gubernatorial nominee Andy Biggs is making Gov. Katie Hobbs’ record-setting veto stamp a centerpiece of the race, saying many bills she killed would become law if he wins.
“I’m inclined to consider and probably sign a whole host of bills by Republicans that were vetoed by her,” Biggs told Axios Phoenix in a story published Monday. He added that he could not commit to signing any bill without reading it first and that some vetoed measures might be changed before being reintroduced.
The ‘Veto Queen’ record
Hobbs, a Democrat, has rejected 541 bills in four years, according to Axios. She set the single-session record with 143 vetoes in her first year and broke it again in 2025 with 174. The previous record holder, Democrat Janet Napolitano, vetoed 58 bills in 2005 and 181 over six years as governor.
Biggs, a five-term congressman and former state Senate president, has recently criticized Hobbs for vetoing bills that would have added sex-offender notification requirements, toughened fentanyl penalties and opted Arizona into a federal school voucher program, Axios reported. His “Make Arizona Healthy Again” plan borrows from vetoed bills that would have loosened vaccine requirements for college students, required schools to share more information about vaccine exemptions and barred using SNAP benefits to buy soda.
His campaign has also said he would sign a bill requiring state contract bidders to disclose contributions supporting a governor’s election or inauguration, and one requiring noncitizen commercial drivers to prove legal immigration status.
Hobbs’ campaign pushed back. “Andy Biggs is promising to give extremists free rein to turn their dangerous agenda into law,” spokesperson Michael Beyer told Axios.
What the new ASU poll shows
A statewide survey released Monday by Arizona State University found Hobbs at 46% and Biggs at 33.6%, a gap of 12.4 points, with 15.6% undecided, the Herald/Review reported. The 2026 ASU Status of Arizona Voters Poll, conducted by ASU’s Hispanic Research Center and its Center for Latina/os and American Politics Research, surveyed 1,300 registered voters from Aug. 18 to Sept. 4, including 700 Latino or Hispanic respondents. ASU reported an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 points. Because the interviews ended a month ago, the results may not capture recent shifts.
The same poll showed other statewide Democrats ahead with large shares of voters undecided:
- Secretary of state: Adrian Fontes 38.2%, Alexander Kolodin 34.6%.
- Attorney general: Kris Mayes 41.5%, Warren Petersen 35.8%.
- Superintendent of public instruction: Kimberly Yee and Teresa Leyba Ruiz separated by 1.6 points.
Seventy percent of respondents said they plan to vote before Election Day: 39% by mail, 16% using a drop box and 15% early in person. While 51% said they were concerned fraud would be a significant problem, 70% said they were confident ballots returned through the Postal Service would be counted fairly. The survey measures perceptions, not evidence of fraud, the newspaper noted.
Why it matters
The governor’s veto has been the main check on the Republican-controlled Legislature since 2023. Decisions on elections, immigration, school choice, groundwater, taxes and more will hinge on who holds it, Axios noted. Early ballots begin going out Wednesday, and Election Day is Nov. 3.
Photo: Jack Boucher, Historic American Buildings Survey, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain). File photo of the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, 1975.
Sources: Axios Phoenix; Herald/Review (ASU poll).
This article was produced with AI assistance and is based on reporting from Axios Phoenix and Herald/Review (ASU poll).