Gov. Hobbs' running mate talks abortion, vouchers and says GOP 'a lost cause'

"I voted for it,'' John Giles said. "It accurately reflects my personal point of view on the topic.''

In his first news conference since being tapped by Gov. Katie Hobbs as her running mate, the former Mesa mayor also:

• Said vouchers for private and parochial school tuition are here to stay but that more funding is needed for public schools;

• Called efforts to save the Republican Party, where he was registered until earlier this year when he switched to independent, a "lost cause;''

• Said the policy differences between him and Hobbs are "remarkably little or nothing,'' saying both are focused on nonpartisan issues such as economic development, education and public safety.

Giles dismissed a question asking his position on biological boys using restrooms and locker rooms designated for girls, calling it a "red herring.''

He pointed out that in 2021, as mayor, he helped push through a wide-ranging ordinance that prohibits discrimination in public accommodations, employment and housing, not just on the basis of race, color or ethnicity but also sexual orientation, gender and gender identity. 

That measure drew complaints from some residents who argued it would put women and children at risk, some of the same arguments that occur at the Arizona Capitol amid legislative debates about who can use which restroom. Giles responded at the time that the ordinance would not make Mesa restrooms fearful places where men posing as women would lurk.

"Privacy is a reasonable concern," he said. "As a father of four daughters and grandfather, I would never put them in danger.''

And now?

"The Mesa ordinance has been in place for several years now,'' he said. "There's never been a situation like that that has been brought forward.''

The weekend press conference with Hobbs, following a campaign rally at Giles' Mesa law office, was the first time political reporters had a chance to extensively question Giles about his positions on statewide issues.

Hobbs, by virtue of her time as a legislator, secretary of state and then as governor for the last four years, has an extensive public record.

Republican nominee for governor Andy Biggs has 14 years of state legislative votes plus actions he has taken since being elected to Congress in 2016. His running mate, Sine Kerr, got into the Arizona Legislature in 2018 as a Republican appointee and served until deciding not to seek reelection in 2024.

Giles, by contrast, has a political career confined to Mesa, first as a council member and then as mayor.

Legal abortion "reflects the will of Arizona voters"

He did get into the wider political limelight in 2024 when, as a Republican, he spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

In an interview with CNN at that time, Giles explained he remained registered with the GOP because he was "more comfortable in terms of political positions with the Republican Party than I am in the Democratic Party.''

Reasons included what he said was advocacy by some Democrats for "open borders.'' He also cited the abortion issue. 

"I continue to be pro-life,'' he said.

Yet Giles acknowledged that, just four months later, he voted for Proposition 139.

That initiative enshrined a provision in the Arizona Constitution saying there is a "fundamental right to abortion.'' It also barred any state restrictions on that right prior to fetal viability — generally considered between 22 and 24 weeks — absent "a compelling state interest that is achieved by the least restrictive means.''

It also says the state can't interfere with abortions after that point if a treating healthcare professional says it is "necessary to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual.''

Giles said his views on the issue were affected by the 2022 ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned the historic 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that there was a constitutional right to abortion.

"Arizona was confronted with a pre-statehood ban on abortion,'' Giles noted. 

That's because an 1864 state law outlawing abortion had never been repealed after the 1973 decision. A judge ruled, and the Arizona Supreme Court affirmed, that with Roe now overturned, the 1864 law could once again be enforced.

Giles said that, unlike Biggs and Kerr, who have a long record of opposition to legalized abortion, "I did not support that.''

But by the time Prop. 139 came along, the question was no longer one of having to choose between the initiative's provisions and the outlawing of abortion in Arizona.

State lawmakers voted in May 2024 to repeal the territorial-era ban. That meant the state of the law by that November's election was that abortions were legal in Arizona until the 15th week of pregnancy.

Prop. 139, approved by voters by a two-to-one margin, superseded that with its new standard removing state restrictions prior to viability.

Giles said he remains convinced his support of the initiative was, and is, justified.

"More importantly, it reflects the will of the Arizona voters, and it reflects the current state of the constitution of Arizona,'' he said.

That relates directly to the current campaign, he said. 

"If I'm ever in a position to defend 139 and the new state constitution protections for that, I will do so,'' Giles said.

Strictly speaking, state law does not give the newly created position of lieutenant governor any specific powers. Instead, the voter-approved law directs the governor to find a role in government for a lieutenant governor, presumably heading a state agency.

But the power of the governor would pass to the running mate if an incumbent governor died in office, quit, or was forced out through criminal indictment or by impeachment and removal by the Legislature — things that have happened in the last 50 years in Arizona.

Biggs and Kerr are both on record as opposing abortion and opposing Prop. 139. But since the gubernatorial campaign began, both said they will respect the will of the voters and not try to have it overturned.

But Biggs is also a co-sponsor of HR 72, which would extend the definition of a human being to include the “preborn.” And that federal law, if approved, would override Arizona constitutional protections.

Supports initiative to put restrictions on vouchers 

Giles also was asked about those — including Hobbs — who have pushed to eliminate the system approved by Republican lawmakers in 2022, which allows any student to get an Empowerment Scholarship Account, tax dollars of $7,500 per year to attend private or parochial schools or be homeschooled. 

Prior to then, the funding had been reserved for students with special needs, including disabilities, being a foster child, attending a public school rated D or F, or being a child in a military family. The change to universal access in the name of "school choice'' boosted the program from 12,000 students to now over 100,000 with a $1 billion annual price tag.

In her first year in office, Hobbs got no traction in asking that the 2022 law be repealed. She has done no better with subsequent proposals to curb the program, including placing income limits on families.

Now two groups, the Arizona Education Association and Save Our Schools Arizona, are pushing Proposition 212. It contains restrictions on how the money can be spent and includes a $150,000 cap on family income.

Giles said he supports the initiative. 

"School choice, that toothpaste is out of the tube,'' said Giles. "We're going to continue to support school choice.''

But he said he remains a "strong advocate'' for public education, noting his father was a school principal in Mesa for 30 years, his mother was a teacher, and his children are school teachers and principals.

"I think that for there to be true meaningful school choice the public option has to be a strong one,'' Giles said. "Public education has to have the resources that it needs to compete.''

Independent:  'A good place for me to be'

Giles, born in 1960, was unapologetic about having registered Republican.

"I was drawn to the Republican Party because of my admiration for people like John McCain, because of a belief in limited government and free enterprise,'' he said. "That's never changed.''

Giles said he remained registered with the GOP even as he believes the party changed, saying he felt he needed to be there "to advocate for people like myself that were being shoved out of the party.''

"A few months ago, I realized that's a lost cause right now,'' Giles said.

"So 'independent' is a good place for me to be,'' he said. "It accurately describes where I'm at politically.''