Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs has secured a second term in Arizona after defeating Republican challenger Andy Biggs in the United States midterm elections, according to a race call by the Associated Press on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. Biggs subsequently conceded, confirming a significant Democratic hold in a closely watched battleground state.
Hobbs, who first took office in January 2023, faced Biggs, a Republican member of the US House of Representatives. The Associated Press projected her victory on Wednesday morning, while local election officials continued the process of counting and reporting ballots. An election projection is not the same as formal certification of the final results.
Arizona broadcaster KTAR reported that Hobbs held 55.6 per cent of votes against Biggs’s 42.7 per cent in Wednesday morning returns, a lead approaching 278,000 votes at that stage. Those figures were a snapshot of the count, rather than a certified final tally. The governor’s margin and statewide figures may be revised as remaining ballots are processed.
The outcome means Democrats retain the governorship rather than gain it from Republicans. That distinction matters in assessing the national election map, where several other contests have produced changes in party control. Arizona’s governor was already a Democrat before voters went to the polls on 3 November.
Biggs acknowledged the outcome in a message posted on X on Wednesday afternoon. Local broadcaster ABC15 reported his concession at 4.50pm Arizona time. Hobbs and her running mate, John Giles, later addressed supporters at a victory gathering, with the broadcaster describing Giles as Arizona’s first lieutenant governor.
The election also produced projected victories for Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, according to Associated Press calls reported by Arizona television stations. Both officials were seeking to retain their positions. Their projected successes, like the governor’s result, represent Democratic holds, not Republican seats changing hands.
The secretary of state’s office has a particularly important role in administering Arizona elections. Statewide and county election authorities remain responsible for completing the canvass and certification process, irrespective of when news organisations determine that a candidate can no longer be overtaken.
Arizona has attracted sustained national attention because of its competitive presidential and congressional elections, disputes over election procedures and its changing electorate. The state’s gubernatorial result therefore carries significance beyond Phoenix, although it does not itself determine which party controls either chamber of Congress.
For African and Nigerian residents of Arizona, the result identifies the state administration that will oversee executive decisions affecting public services, education, employment and the business environment during the next term. Federal immigration law, however, remains principally a matter for Washington, and the governor’s re-election does not itself change visa or citizenship rules.
Other races in Arizona were still being counted after election night. ABC15 reported that Democrat JoAnna Mendoza had declared victory in the state’s sixth congressional district, but an early declaration by a candidate should not be confused with an authoritative race call. Any eventual change of party control in that district requires separate verification.
Across the United States, the midterm results are being reported through a combination of official state and county returns and independent projections. The Associated Press calls races when its analysts determine that the trailing candidate no longer has a realistic route to victory. Official certification follows under each state’s election timetable.
Hobbs’s victory gives Arizona Democrats continuity in the governor’s office for another four years, while the state’s election administrators complete the formal count and certify the outcome.
Photograph: Katie Hobbs at a Phoenix event in January 2026. Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Archival photograph, not election night.
