Hobbs, Biggs Skip Debate but Face Police Union Grilling on Border, Crime

Arizona's two candidates for governor won't be sharing a stage before November, but they will both stand before the state's largest law enforcement union and answer the same round of public safety questions. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republican Rep. Andy Biggs are set to appear separately at a forum hosted by the Arizona Police Association on Tuesday at Arizona State University's downtown Phoenix campus, with each candidate answering questions one at a time rather than facing off directly.

The format is unusual for a high-profile statewide race, but it's by design. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the setup lets voters hear each candidate's public safety positions without a traditional back-and-forth debate, and the two will not appear on stage together. Arizona Police Association Executive Director Joe Clure, who is leading the event, said the governor sets the budget for public safety agencies at the Capitol and is responsible for major public safety decisions statewide.

What the Forum Will Cover

Clure said the forum will showcase where Hobbs and Biggs stand on automatic license-plate readers, as well as immigration and border policing, per the same FOX 10 Phoenix report. He also noted that both candidates have previously shown investment in public safety for Arizonans, even as their approaches diverge sharply on implementation and authority, according to the forum's organizers, as reported by KTAR. Ahead of the event, Clure also flagged that candidates would be pressed on federal Department of Justice consent decrees, which he said drain vital resources from public safety agencies.

The license-plate reader question lands amid a live local fight. The City of Chandler ended its automated license plate reader contract with Flock Safety this month after an internal audit flagged potential police misuse, as detailed by the California Globe. Nearby Gilbert, by contrast, voted to keep and expand its own camera network, illustrating how divided Arizona municipalities remain on the surveillance technology even as the gubernatorial candidates prepare to weigh in.

Border Policy Fault Lines

Border enforcement is likely to dominate the immigration portion of the forum. Arizona voters approved Proposition 314, the Secure the Border Act, with 62.6% support in November 2024, creating state-level criminal penalties for crossing outside official ports of entry and authorizing local law enforcement to assist in border enforcement, per the Arizona ballot measure record documented by MultiState. That measure reached the ballot after Hobbs had vetoed a similar legislative package, prompting Republican lawmakers to send it directly to voters.

Hobbs vetoed another border and immigration package in June, including measures that would have required local police to notify federal authorities upon arresting non-citizens, according to the Arizona State Legislature's record of the bills; Hobbs argued the measures were overly broad and failed to provide effective solutions. Biggs, in turn, has built his campaign around strict border enforcement and expanded local police authority to enforce federal immigration law, while also targeting Hobbs over that veto record and past ethical scrutiny.

Hobbs Points to Budget and Task Force Record

Hobbs has countered by pointing to her own record of investment in law enforcement. Her Fiscal Year 2026 executive budget proposal allocated $33.3 million in ongoing General Fund support, including a 5% pay increase for frontline state troopers and correctional officers aimed at boosting agency recruitment, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, with $10 million more dedicated to local border drug interdiction support. In February 2025, Hobbs also signed Executive Order 2025-01 establishing Operation Desert Guardian, a multi-agency initiative coordinating the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Emergency and Military Affairs against transnational criminal organizations across four southern border counties.

One issue Biggs' campaign has repeatedly raised is a two-year criminal investigation into whether Hobbs' administration ran a pay-to-play bribery scheme tied to state Department of Child Safety rate increases for foster care provider Sunshine Residential Homes. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced last week that the investigation found no evidence of such a scheme. State Republican lawmakers criticized the decision, noting the investigation concluded without prosecutors directly interviewing the governor.

A Race With a Wide Public Polling Gap

The forum arrives as Hobbs holds a substantial lead in public polling. An August Noble Predictive Insights survey found Hobbs leading Biggs by 13 percentage points among likely voters, 48% to 35%, buoyed by 86% support among Democrats and a 15% crossover rate among Republicans. Biggs had won the Republican primary in July with more than 73% of the vote but has faced ongoing challenges consolidating support among moderate and independent voters.

Biggs announced former State Senator Sine Kerr as his lieutenant governor running mate in late July, forming what would be the first Republican joint executive ticket in Arizona history under voter-approved Proposition 131, which created the lieutenant governor post as first in line of gubernatorial succession. Hobbs made her own running mate pick when she tapped ex-Mesa Mayor John Giles for the historic ticket earlier this month.

The Arizona Police Association's role as host is notable given its history of crossing party lines, including its 2024 endorsement of Democrat Ruben Gallego over Republican Kari Lake in the U.S. Senate race. The union represents thousands of active law enforcement personnel statewide and regularly lobbies on criminal justice legislation, positioning Tuesday's forum less as a partisan showcase and more as a policy stress test for whoever becomes Arizona's next governor.