PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs knows she is outnumbered this legislative session as Republicans expanded their majorities in the House of Representatives after the last election.
But the first-term governor sees room for bipartisan compromise as she seeks to advance policies that have long been stymied under the Republican Party-controlled Legislature.
While President-elect Donald Trump dominated the battleground state, Hobbs noted in a recent interview with The Associated Press that Arizona voters also elected Democrat Ruben Gallego to the U.S. Senate, sending a message that they want their political leaders Demand that they work across the aisle to resolve the most sensitive issue of all.
“The issues we face — affordability for families, water security, protecting our border and keeping communities safe — these are not Republican or Democratic issues,” she said. “These are simply Arizona issues that our elected leaders, including myself, must work together to resolve.”
Hobbs, who is running for re-election next year, is expected to outline her priorities when she addresses lawmakers at the start of the session on Monday.
Here is a look at the most essential policy areas:
Border security
It was just two weeks after the November election that Hobbs visited the Arizona-Mexico border and pledged to work with the Trump administration on issues such as stopping the fentanyl trade. But she also acknowledged that some families were concerned about the president-elect’s deportation threats.
Without speculating, Hobbs says Arizona will focus its restricted law enforcement resources on keeping violent criminals off the streets, regardless of their immigration status.
Last year, Arizona voters approved a measure that would authorize local police to arrest people suspected of crossing the border illegally. So it’s unclear what up-to-date immigration restrictions Republicans might push beyond ensuring adequate funding for law enforcement.
Water shortage
Hobbs will try to put renewed pressure on lawmakers to close regulatory loopholes to protect groundwater sources. Her calls last year to update the state’s water laws failed to win legislative support, forcing her government to take action in December to curb uncontrolled pumping in a rural area.
This time, Hobbs is hopeful she can reach an agreement with lawmakers on revamping groundwater regulations. In the absence of an agreement, Hobbs says she will not hesitate to act unilaterally.
The stakes are high as Arizona grapples with a prolonged drought and must come up with a plan by the end of 2026 to address dwindling shares of water from the overburdened Colorado River.
Training
Restricting Arizona’s school voucher program remains on Hobbs’ wish list.
The program, which began in 2011 for disabled children and expanded to all students in 2022, allows parents to subsidize private school fees and other education costs with public money.
Hobbs and other Democrats criticized the program, saying it added a strain to state coffers. Republican lawmakers have endorsed the program as a cornerstone of the school choice movement. The budget approved by lawmakers last year after weeks of negotiations with Hobbs’ office included only a tiny reduction in spending on the program.
Unlike last year, the state is not facing a budget crisis. The latest revenue forecast for the next fiscal year is $231 million higher than last summer’s forecast, according to legislative analysts.
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Gabriel Sandoval is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
