Coverage spread: 2 sources — 2 unrated
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- Giles, a former Republican and ex-mayor of Mesa, is running as Katie Hobbs’ independent lieutenant governor pick and left the GOP, registering as no-party-preference in May.
- Giles says he is personally “pro-life” but voted for Prop. 139, the constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights, calling the two positions compatible.
- Giles dismisses concern over transgender bathroom access as a “red herring,” citing his record on a 2021 Mesa nondiscrimination ordinance.
- Both Hobbs and Giles say they will fight any effort to weaken Prop. 139’s protections.
Where they differ
- ABC15 gives more space to the Biggs campaign’s reaction, including his comparison of Giles to Harris and Newsom-style Democrats.
- Arizona Capitol Times provides more biographical and historical detail, including Giles’ 2024 CNN interview and a direct comparison of the four candidates’ political résumés.
- ABC15 emphasizes the school voucher/ESA policy fight with Republican lawmakers more heavily, while the Capitol Times focuses more narrowly on abortion and bathroom policy.
- The Capitol Times includes fuller detail on the Mesa 2021 ordinance debate, including past resident objections and Giles’ response at the time, which ABC15 omits.
John Giles, the former Republican mayor of Mesa now running as Gov. Katie Hobbs’ independent running mate for lieutenant governor, told reporters at a Saturday news conference that he sees no contradiction between calling himself “pro-life” and having voted for Proposition 139, the 2024 ballot measure that enshrined abortion rights up to fetal viability in Arizona’s constitution. He also broke with many Republicans by backing school voucher reforms and dismissing concerns about transgender bathroom access as a “red herring.”
What did Giles actually say about abortion?
Giles told reporters his vote for Prop. 139 “accurately reflects” his personal point of view, even though he continues to describe himself as pro-life — a label he repeated in a 2024 CNN interview during the Democratic National Convention. He said that if he’s ever in a position to defend the measure and the constitutional protections it created, he would do so. Hobbs, standing alongside him, called support for “reproductive freedom” a “100% non-negotiable,” and said both she and Giles would resist any legislative attempt to roll back the measure.
Where does Giles stand on school vouchers?
Giles said Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program — the state’s voucher system, which Hobbs has repeatedly clashed with the Republican-led Legislature over — “100%” needs the income caps and other guardrails Hobbs has proposed. He argued that genuine school choice requires a strong public school system, saying public education needs adequate resources to compete with private options funded by vouchers.
How does he explain his position on transgender bathroom policy?
Giles called the bathroom-access issue a “red herring,” saying he doesn’t believe in discrimination. He pointed to a 2021 Mesa ordinance he pushed through as mayor that barred discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender and gender identity in housing, employment and public accommodations. At the time, some residents worried the ordinance would endanger women and children in restrooms; Giles, describing himself as a father of four daughters and a grandfather, said he would never put them at risk but that no such incidents have occurred in Mesa since the ordinance took effect. The issue is also part of Proposition 318, a Republican-backed ballot measure that would ban transgender girls and women from competing in female sports and restrict bathroom access — a measure that bypasses the governor’s veto power by going straight to voters. Hobbs has vetoed similar standalone bills in the past.
Why did Giles leave the Republican Party?
Giles, a critic of President Donald Trump who backed Kamala Harris for president in 2024, changed his voter registration from Republican to “no party preference” in May, according to Maricopa County records obtained by ABC15. He said he had concluded his efforts to reform the GOP from within were a lost cause, adding he was originally drawn to the party because of his admiration for certain Republican figures.
How has the Biggs campaign responded?
Republican gubernatorial nominee Andy Biggs, who is running with Sine Kerr as his lieutenant governor pick, said Giles’ move to join Hobbs’ ticket was unsurprising, likening him to “pro-Kamala Harris, pro-Gavin Newsom Democrats” who would “fit right in” with that wing of the party.
How does his record compare to the other candidates?
Hobbs has a lengthy public record from her years as a Democratic state legislator, secretary of state and now governor. Biggs has 14 years of legislative votes plus his record in Congress since 2016. Kerr served in the Arizona Senate after being appointed in 2018 and was reelected three times before stepping aside in 2024. Giles, by contrast, has spent his political career entirely in Mesa, first as a council member and then as mayor, giving him a comparatively narrow track record on statewide issues — which is part of why Saturday’s news conference marked reporters’ first extended chance to question him on where he stands.
Sources
Featured photo: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)