Kathleen Marie Hobbs is an American politician and social worker serving as the 24th Governor of Arizona since January 2023.
Born on 28 December 1969 in Phoenix, Arizona, she was raised in Tempe in a working-class family.
She attended Catholic schools, graduated from Seton Catholic High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Northern Arizona University in 1992, and a master’s degree in social work from Arizona State University in 1995.
Before entering politics she worked as a social worker with homeless youth and later as chief compliance officer at the Sojourner Center, one of the nation’s largest domestic violence shelters.
Siblings
Katie has two sisters. Her twin sister, Becky, is eleven minutes younger than her and works as an educator in the Phoenix area.
Their younger sister, Beth, is also an educator, serving as a reading specialist in the Paradise Valley Unified School District.
The three sisters grew up together in Tempe in a household that valued church, school, and community service.
Both Becky and Beth have remained active in education while their sister pursued a career in public office.
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Career
After completing her social work degrees, Hobbs spent years in the field focusing on homelessness, domestic violence, and mental health.
Motivated by the challenges she saw in her community, she entered electoral politics and was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010.
She moved to the Arizona Senate in 2012 and served as Senate minority leader from 2015 to 2019.
In 2018 she was elected Arizona Secretary of State, a role in which she oversaw elections during the highly contested 2020 cycle and defended the integrity of the state’s electoral process.
In 2022 she ran for governor and narrowly defeated Republican Kari Lake.
As governor she has emphasized housing, water security, economic development, and education while frequently using her veto power in a divided state government. She won reelection in 2026.
Accolades
Hobbs is noted as one of the few American governors with a professional background in social work.
Her election as governor in 2022 and reelection in 2026 marked significant Democratic victories in a politically competitive state.
She has been recognized for her work defending election administration as secretary of state and for navigating a divided legislature as governor, signing hundreds of bills while setting records for the number of vetoes issued.
Her personal story of rising from a working-class Tempe upbringing to statewide office is frequently cited as part of her public profile.
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