Hobbs' running mate says his traffic violations aren't relevant

"I've lived in Arizona my entire life, and we've all seen that camera flash and realized we were going a little too fast,'' John Giles said in a written statement Thursday. He said publicity about the citations he incurred in Mesa — mainly in 2021 and 2022, though there is a speeding ticket from this past February — is strictly political. 

But Giles, tapped by incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs to be her running mate in her reelection bid, did not address the fact he also had two citations in Mesa for running red lights in 2021 and 2023.

Nor did he respond to questions about records from Mesa Municipal Court that show all the citations were dismissed and about whether that had anything to do with the fact he was the mayor; he held that role from 2014 through 2024. The court records do not show why they were dismissed. There is also nothing in the available court documents to show how much over the speed limit Giles was clocked.

The documents were initially found by FOIAzona, a blog that bills itself as "increasing transparency in Arizona through public records research.''

Based on the blog's most recent postings, however, there appears to be a bias in the issues it pursues, with most of its reports being about activities of Democrats. 

One related to conversations recorded by an aide to Hobbs in connection with the investigation of an increase in state payments given to Sunshine Residential. Another was about U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari calling on Democrats to take action against President Donald Trump if they take over Congress in the 2026 election. Another related to Sen. Ruben Gallego's former friendship with Eric Swalwell, who resigned from Congress earlier this year amid allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct.

In Giles' case, FOIAzona posted pictures of the photos taken by enforcement cameras of the 2021 and 2023 incidents showing not just the vehicle that ran the red lights but also Giles behind the wheel.

Giles did not respond to voice messages and texts sent to his cell phone by Capitol Media Services seeking information about the red-light offenses.

As a member of the city council, Giles voted in 2019 to expand Mesa's photo enforcement. He later pushed for a crackdown on those who were ignoring the tickets they got by mail. "Apparently, it's more voluntary than we want,'' he was quoted saying in The Arizona Republic. 

Giles, in the prepared statement he provided Thursday, called it all political.

"The fact that the other side wants to talk about a handful of traffic tickets the week early voting starts shows how out of touch they are with what Arizonans are facing,'' he said.

A search of a statewide database produced no record of traffic citations for either Republican gubernatorial nominee Andy Biggs or Sine Kerr, his running mate. But a spokesman for their campaign said he understands Kerr received a photo radar speeding ticket last year in Scottsdale and paid the fine. He did not know how fast she was going.

While Giles complained about making an issue out of his citations, it is not uncommon for there to be news stories when elected officials violate traffic laws.

Republican state Sen. Mark Finchem of Prescott became the subject of news stories in 2025 after he was cited by Prescott police for driving 49 mph in a 30 mph zone. In that case, he got the police chief to rescind the ticket.

Just a few days before that, Republican state Sen. Jake Hoffman was stopped by Department of Public Safety officers who said they clocked the Queen Creek lawmaker traveling at 89 mph in a 65 mph zone. He was not cited after the officer recognized him as a state lawmaker, something Hoffman said he had not pointed out.

And in 2024, then-state Sen. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, got Tucson police not to give her a citation after they stopped her on Speedway when they said she was driving 71 in a 35 mph zone. She claimed legislative immunity.

In her case, however, the relief was temporary as she was cited after the legislative session ended.

The case against her was dismissed after she completed a defensive driving course and proved she had the legally required liability insurance.

This November's general election is the first election in Arizona in which gubernatorial candidates picked a running mate under a voter-approved change in the state Constitution to create the role. That person is not separately elected but appears on the same ticket as the candidate for governor, similar to presidential elections where there is a single vote for the party nominee and a running mate.

Hobbs tapped Giles earlier this year. He had been a Republican but changed his voter registration to independent shortly before he was picked by the governor.