Arizona’s governor didn’t ‘mysteriously’ step down. She was in DC less than a day and is back now

Arizona’s governor, Katie Hobbs, temporarily left the state for a day this week, which led to unfounded rumors and false claims of her sudden resignation or disappearance. Here are the accurate details:

CLAIM: Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has unexpectedly resigned, leaving the state’s treasurer in charge.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The Democratic governor, who has been a target of misinformation since taking office this year, traveled to Washington for meetings for a day. As per Arizona’s constitution, in the governor’s absence, the next highest-ranking elected official physically present in the state assumes the role of acting governor. During this time, the state treasurer, Kimberly Yee, briefly served as acting governor. However, Hobbs returned to Arizona on Thursday and resumed her official duties, including attending an event with President Joe Biden.

THE FACTS: Hobbs’ brief trip on Wednesday was widely misrepresented on social media and conservative news outlets.

Critics and certain news headlines suggested that her absence was “mysterious” or “unexplained,” insinuating that the governor had vanished without prior notice, leaving another state official abruptly in charge.

One Facebook user in a widely circulated video claimed, “She has now stepped down as Arizona governor, and it’s raising questions.”

Another post on Gettr falsely declared, “BREAKING: Katie Hobbs has resigned from her role as the Governor of Arizona.”

On Wednesday, a user on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote, “Republican State Treasurer Kimberly Yee is currently the Acting Governor. The reason is unknown.”

However, there’s no significant mystery here: Katie Hobbs remains the governor of Arizona. Her absence for a day was due to official business, and state law mandates that the next highest-ranking statewide officeholder assumes the role of acting governor during such absences.

Arizona’s secretary of state and state attorney general were also in Washington for meetings that week, leaving Treasurer Kimberly Yee as the de facto executive of the state, as confirmed by Hobbs’ spokesperson, Christian Slater.

This seemingly routine transition garnered attention when Yee released a statement acknowledging her role as acting governor from Wednesday evening through Thursday morning. In a slight dig at the Democratic governor, the Republican treasurer mentioned her intention to refrain from filling vacancies in state agency director positions that Hobbs hadn’t filled.

Christian Slater confirmed that Governor Hobbs had met with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in Washington on Wednesday. She returned to Arizona on Thursday morning and later that day, spoke at the Tempe Center for the Arts, where officials announced plans for a library honoring the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, an Arizona native.

On Friday, Governor Hobbs traveled to Flagstaff to address the state Board of Regents, as per Slater.

In the meantime, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes returned to Arizona on Friday after meetings with U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and White House staff concerning the potential impact of a federal government shutdown on election operations.

State Attorney General Kris Mayes was also back in the state on Friday following meetings with officials from the Drug Enforcement Agency regarding efforts to combat Arizona’s fentanyl crisis, according to spokesperson Richie Taylor. Additionally, she discussed the proposed merger between grocery chains Albertsons and Kroger and its potential impact on local food suppliers with U.S. Department of Agriculture officials.

Despite clear evidence of the governor’s return to Arizona, some social media users unfoundedly suggested that Katie Hobbs would need to be re-sworn into office before resuming her duties. In response, Christian Slater stated unequivocally that there was no truth to such claims.

This article aims to address the spread of misinformation and provide factual context to counteract misleading content circulating online, in line with AP’s commitment to fact-checking.

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More about Misinformation

• AP Fact Check on Arizona Governor’s Brief Absence
• Arizona Constitution on Gubernatorial Succession
• Governor Katie Hobbs’ Official Website
• Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee
• Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes
• Arizona Attorney General’s Office
• U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
• U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema
• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
• John McCain – U.S. Senator from Arizona
• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Albertsons
• Kroger