In midst of election, Arizona’s Democrat governor faces pay-to-play corruption probe

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/az-democrat-ags-investigation-democrat-governor-conclude-arizona-voters

A sitting governor's alleged donor payoff is being investigated by an attorney general from her own party who has her own unresolved questions about outside money, and that investigator has promised to deliver a verdict just before voters decide whether to re-elect the person she's investigating.

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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, is the only governor in America currently under investigation for a “pay-to-play” scheme, but that investigation will likely conclude just prior to the November election.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes – a fellow Democrat – is conducting the investigation and recently told reporters that the investigation is “near the end” and results would come prior to the November election, KTAR News reported.

“I feel confident that we’re going to get the information that we need to conclude the investigation,” Mayes told reporters earlier this week.

The investigation involves Hobbs’ connection to an Arizona group home, which received a large rate hike after donating to Hobbs’ inaugural fund and the Arizona Democratic Party, the Arizona Republic reported. Sunshine Residential Homes was able to receive a large rate hike from the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) after donating $100,000 to Hobbs’ inaugural fund in December 2022 and $200,000 to the Arizona Democratic Party just before the 2022 election. The CEO for Sunshine was also on Hobbs’ inaugural committee and personally contributed to the governor’s campaign. His company provided Hobbs with an award shortly before the election as well.

Before those donations, Sunshine’s request for a large rate hike was denied. After the donations, it was approved. It is currently unclear if Hobbs will be interviewed by the AG’s office for the investigation.

Mayes herself appears under the ethical microscope

It’s not the only allegation of impropriety that Arizona has faced. Mayes herself appears to have received money from the Democratic Attorneys General Association ((DAGA) in proximity to opening an investigation into President Donald Trump’s electors in her state, as Just the Newspreviously reported. 

On September 5, 2023 – nearly one year after Mayes was elected – DAGA sent $50,000 to Mayes’ legal fund. This payment came just a couple of months after the AG’s office agreed to work with States United Democracy Center SUDC, a Democrat-aligned nonprofit that shares executive committee members with DAGA. The payment from DAGA to Mayes’ fund also occurred close to the opening of the AG office’s grand jury investigation into Trump's electors.

Eighteen months after the first payment, DAGA made a second payment to Mayes’ legal fund to the tune of $150,000. This payment came one month after more than a dozen Trump supporters were arrested and accused of conspiring to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss in Arizona. An Assistant AG in Arizona previously denied any connections between DAGA and SUDC, but did not dispute the timing of the financial payments. The indictments against Trump supporters were eventually dismissed.

Hobbs will face Republican challenger Rep. Andy Biggs in November, and like in 2022, she is refusing to debate her opponent, The Arizona Mirror reported. Hobbs narrowly won her previous election after refusing to debate her Republican opponent, Kari Lake. Hobbs originally attempted to have the Clean Elections Commission host separate televised interviews with each of the candidates, but when the CEC declined, Hobbs decided to not debate. At the time, she claimed she would not debate Lake for fear of “constant interruptions, pointless distractions, and childish name-calling.”

Now, Hobbs is refusing to debate Biggs and instead says she will travel the state to speak with constituents. The Biggs campaign has told media that he will participate in the debate scheduled for Oct. 6. The two are scheduled to speak separately at a forum hosted by the Arizona Police Association on Aug. 25, KTAR News reported.

To bolster her chances of winning a traditionally Red State, Hobbs is reportedly choosing former Mesa, Ariz., Mayor John Giles, a Republican, as her running mate.