Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed more bills than any governor in Arizona history
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In Arizona’s first legislative session with divided government in 14 years, the governor set a new record for the most vetoes in state history.
Gov. Katie Hobbs, D-Ariz., vetoed 143 bills in the most recent legislative session. The previous record was set by the state’s last Democratic governor, Janet Napolitano, who vetoed 58 bills in 2005, according to the Arizona Mirror. Like Napolitano, Hobbs won her election by a narrow margin and works with a Republican legislature.
Hobbs initially broke Napolitano’s record in April thanks to vetoes of portions of the Republican budget proposal and vetoes of a range of bills, including one about race-related content taught in schools, another banning municipalities from prohibiting gun shows and one that would have labeled drug cartels “terrorist organizations,” which Hobbs called “not a real solution and not a state function.”
Other vetoes include one over a bill that would legalize street vendors selling homemade food and a veto of a transgender bathroom bill. In letters explaining her vetoes, Hobbs said she felt some bills were unnecessary or said they attempted to solve problems she didn’t believe existed.
“It is unclear what problem this bill aims to solve,” Hobbs wrote in one representative letter over SB1025, a bill she vetoed that would have placed restrictions on municipal bans on campaign signage. “Arizonans are not asking for more campaign signs in their communities.”
Republicans have criticized Hobbs over her vetoes, including state Sen. Ken Bennett, who said in a statement Hobbs was “going back on her promise to support legislation with bipartisan support” after vetoing an election security bill in May that passed with bipartisan support.
After Hobbs vetoed a budget proposal in April, Senate President Warren Petersen, a Republican, called her veto “senseless” and characterized her as being unreasonable and inexperienced during budget negotiations.
Arizona Republican Party chairman Jeff DeWit said in a statement to the Deseret News that Hobbs “consistently opposes policies that benefit Arizona families and taxpayers.”
“Every time a promising solution arose for the hardworking middle class and small business owners, it was met with a veto,” DeWit said, singling out her street vendor bill veto and vetoes of bills related to grocery and rent taxes. “Come 2026, I trust that Arizonans will remember this and choose a Republican governor who prioritizes their well-being.”
Hobbs said her vetoes shouldn’t be a surprise, accusing Republicans of sending her bills she wouldn’t sign.
“I made it clear when I was campaigning that I was going to be the backstop against things that curtail people’s rights, that don’t help us with economic growth, and I’ve done that,” she told KJZZ in Phoenix.
Hobbs signed a $17.8 billion budget passed by the Republican legislature and signed 204 bills into law this session, according to the Arizona Republic.
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Hobbs isn’t the only governor to set a state veto record in recent years. Gov. Phil Scott, R-Vt., and Gov. Roy Cooper, D-N.C., both set veto records for their states in 2021, with 23 and 65 vetoes, respectively.
Other governors have seen their veto numbers tick up even if they didn’t break records: Gov. Laura Kelly, D-Kan., vetoed 15 bills, more than any governor in her state in 29 years, and Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo., and Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, each vetoed more bills than they had in previous years: 10 and 76, respectively.
Hobbs said after breaking Arizona’s veto record, “I did not come here to veto bills, I came here to solve real issues for Arizonans and I’ve made it clear that I’m not going to support legislation that doesn’t address the real issues we’re facing.”
Update: This story was updated with additional comment from Arizona Republican Party chairman Jeff Dewit.
