Arizona governor race pits two Latter-day Saints against each other amid $18 million ad blitz

In Arizona’s 2026 gubernatorial race, Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs and Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs, who has selected former Mesa mayor John Giles as her lieutenant-governor candidate, both belong to the LDS Church, highlighting the faith’s central role in the contest. Biggs, a longtime Gilbert resident and vocal Trump supporter, faces a well-funded attack from Turning Point Action, which has spent $18.3 million in the past month on ads promoting him and denouncing Hobbs.

Giles, a self-described Reagan Republican who left the GOP over its “Make America Great Again” direction, emphasizes independent voting and cites his LDS upbringing as a guide to choose the best candidate. The LDS community, though under 6 percent of the state’s population, commands the highest number of congregations in the Phoenix-Mesa corridor, making its voters a critical swing bloc in a state where Hobbs won by just 0.3 percent in 2022.

Church leaders stress political neutrality, urging members to act as informed citizens, while local PACs such as Arizonans Who Believe in Treating Others with Respect mobilize voters wary of Biggs’s election-skepticism. The race’s stakes include control over the 2028 election certification, 2030 redistricting, and policies on water, growth and education, underscoring how religious identity and partisan realignment intersect in Arizona politics.