Hobbs steps aside temporarily as Arizona governor

Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.) unaccountably stepped aside as governor of Arizona for a period slated to end at mid-morning today. Deepening the mystery, Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee, fourth in line of gubernatorial succession, became Acting Governor during this period. No one seems to know the whereabouts of the three civil officers senior to Yee, or why they were absent.

Gov. Hobbs steps aside

The only official announcement of the temporary transfer of power came from Acting Governor Yee. At 4:14 p.m. Arizona Time, she left this post,

in which she embedded a photograph of her statement. Todd Starnes quoted it:

I have been notified that I will be serving as Acting Governor later this evening until mid-morning tomorrow. While I am pleased to step into this role, I will refrain from naming directors to the 13 agencies that currently have vacancies and will not call the Arizona Legislature into session to confirm them. That being said, I do hope when the Governor returns to Arizona, she will promptly name qualified directors to these important state agencies and remove the legal uncertainty that exists for all of the regulatory actions taken by the agencies. I expect to see a swift resolution to this matter, so we can get back to getting the work done for Arizona taxpayers. The people of Arizona deserve leaders who follow the rule of law.

The mention of the “13 agencies that currently have vacancies” refers to 13 nominations Gov. Hobbs has made lately. The Senate of Arizona refused confirmation on all of them, prompting Hobbs to withdraw all their names. Apparently Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-15th) “blue-slipped” all these nominees. In rejoinder, Hobbs issued a statement that reads more like a partisan editorial than an official press release. She called Hoffman a “fake elector” in the statement (a reference to his having been an alternate elector in 2020). Furthermore she accused Hoffman of “creating a partisan political circus out of the director confirmation process.”

Why Acting Gov. Yee declined to nominate a slate of directors and call a special session to confirm them, is not clear. Perhaps neither she nor Hoffman had any contingency plan against the sudden absence of three civil officers. Yee is fourth in line, so if she’s Acting Governor, where are the Lieutenant Governor and the Secretary of State?

However, Yee refused to recognize the authority of two directors whom Hobbs appointed on her own authority. Because Hobbs bypassed the Senate confirmation process, their authority remains in doubt. The Senate President (Republican) and the Attorney General (Democrat) do not agree on the legitimacy of the appointments.

Speculation on Hobbs’ absence

Katie Hobbs “won” the Arizona Election of 2022 in a move her opponent, Kari Lake, is still contesting. In speculating about Gov. Hobbs’ absence (and those of the Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State), some say they fled the State to avoid greeting President Joe Biden when he landed in Arizona for a rally.

Kari Lake has not been silent. Late last night she observed that Hobbs evidently appointed the same person to direct all the 13 agencies with vacancies. That, she says, is flatly illegal.

The X account titled “The Ninth Floor” is an unofficial Office-of-the-Governor account.

Many people asked where Gov. Hobbs had taken herself off to, but no one had any answers.