Hobbs gave the annual State of the State speech on Monday at the opening of the 2025 legislative session. Her speech contained a considerable number of vague statements, including conservative sounding rhetoric, attacks on the Republican-controlled legislature, and a lengthy defense of abortion.
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Mesa) and President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope (R-Florence) provided a rebuttal afterwards.
This description of Arizona was typical of Hobbs’ many vague lines: “A place where your children and grandchildren can triumph beyond our wildest imagination, a place where the promise of tomorrow is as fast as our blue skies and luminous as the Arizona sun.”
Hobbs frequently threw in conservative rhetoric, such as this volley: “Our cost of living is too high. People are working harder and struggling more. Our freedoms are under attack. Our sense of security has faltered.”
When speaking about border security, she also sounded like a Republican. Her theme was the “Arizona promise,” which “means if you immigrate to this country, follow the law, pay taxes and contribute to your community, the Arizona promise can be yours too.”
Hobbs’ rhetoric on this issue was similar to her former opponent in the gubernatorial race, Kari Lake. “Safe communities are a core pillar of the Arizona promise, and why I’ve made border security a top priority,” Hobbs said. She bragged about the National Guard on the border and seizures of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Shope responded, “When the governor promised to prioritize border security last year, her actions didn’t match her words. She vetoed our border bills.”
During an appearance two years ago on PBS, when asked if she would leave the troops on the border that were placed there by Governor Doug Ducey, Hobbs responded, “The border is a federal issue, and there’s been frustration that the feds haven’t stepped up. I think we have other priorities in our state that we need to direct our resources to.” Shortly after entering office, Hobbs proposed a budget that eliminated the Border Strike Force created by Ducey in 2015. As a state legislator, she voted against spending money on the Border Strike Force as part of a larger budget vote.
