Former President Barack Obama threw his support behind Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs’s reelection campaign on Tuesday, appearing in a digital video released by her campaign that calls her the best choice to keep the state moving forward. The move puts a national Democratic figure squarely into a tight statewide race just three weeks before Election Day, and it didn’t take long for Hobbs’s Republican opponent to fire back.
Obama Makes His Pitch Directly to Arizona Voters
In the video, Obama told viewers that “Katie Hobbs is the best choice to keep Arizona moving forward. So, join me in supporting Katie for governor,” according to KTAR. The endorsement was first reported as part of a video the Hobbs campaign released Tuesday, and it was also covered by FOX 10 Phoenix, which posted its own report on the endorsement the same day. Hobbs responded in a statement on her campaign site, saying, “I’m deeply honored to have the support of President Obama.”
This isn’t the first time Obama has waded into a Hobbs campaign. The former president also endorsed her during her 2022 run for governor, per the same KTAR report. Hobbs, a Democrat, is now seeking a second term in a state that President Trump carried by five percentage points in 2024, according to The New York Times.
Biggs Pushes Back Hard on Utility Costs and the Border
Hobbs’s Republican opponent in the Nov. 3 general election is U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, and his campaign wasted no time responding to the new endorsement. Biggs accused Obama of “lying about Katie Hobbs’s record on rising utility costs and border security,” the outlet reported. Biggs also made remarks about endorsements and Hobbs’s record.
Hobbs’s campaign, meanwhile, has pointed to her record on border security as a central argument for reelection. Her campaign website states that her border-security efforts helped keep 18 million fentanyl pills off Arizona streets, and that she negotiated and signed four bipartisan, balanced budgets that cut taxes for working families. The Hobbs campaign also announced the endorsement of the National Security Leaders for America, citing what it described as her record of defending Arizona’s security.
A Border Fight That Predates the Obama Video
The sparring over border security isn’t new to this race. Speaking at an Aug. 25, 2026, public-safety forum, Hobbs said that if reelected on Nov. 3, she would continue her existing border-security partnerships and keep working with the Trump administration, according to Cronkite News. That same report detailed how both Hobbs and Biggs have tried to stake out ground on the issue ahead of the general election.
Independent voters could prove decisive in deciding who wins. Unaffiliated voters make up 34.6% of Arizona’s electorate, outnumbering registered Democrats, Cronkite News reported. A HighGround poll cited in that report found Hobbs holding a 35.5 percentage point lead over Biggs among independent voters, a gap that could matter significantly given how closely divided the state has been in recent elections.
Part of a Bigger National Picture
Arizona’s race is one of 36 gubernatorial contests nationwide in 2026, with Republicans currently holding a narrow 26-24 edge in governors’ seats heading into Election Day, per The New York Times. Obama has also been active in other battleground states this cycle; he endorsed Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia’s governor’s race earlier this month, according to CBS Atlanta.
With Election Day three weeks away, the Hobbs-Biggs contest pits a Democratic incumbent with a wide independent-voter lead against a Republican congressman in a state that still leans toward Trump at the presidential level.
