Kerr, Mohan outline visions for Arizona lieutenant governor

Sine Kerr, a Republican, used the hourlong debate to repeatedly attack incumbent Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs' administration as Hobbs seeks a second term. Kerr is running with U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, who easily won the GOP nomination in July to challenge Hobbs in the November election. 

Angela Harrolle Mohan of the No Labels Party is running with the party's gubernatorial nominee, Teri Hourihan. Mohan used the debate stage to air the third-party ticket's ideas beside the better-funded and better-known GOP slate.

Two other candidates — Hobbs' pick for No. 2 and a Green Party candidate — did not attend.

Arizonans have never before elected a lieutenant governor, but in 2022 passed a proposition to create the role. The lieutenant governor runs on a ticket with the gubernatorial nominee, and succeeds the governor if they are unable to serve for some reason.

"It's almost like a marriage on some level, and we just met," Mohan said of the unprecedented joint ticket.

Mohan is a real estate broker and former chief executive officer of The 100 Club, a nonprofit that supports families of first responders who are killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.

Kerr is a former state senator and farmer from Buckeye who most recently had been tapped by the Trump administration to serve as the state executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency in Arizona.

"One thing I'd like to note is, I think accessibility is an interesting aspect, and I am hoping that to the citizens of Arizona and those that are serving in the Legislature we can become the more accessible administration," Mohan said. She said later that she and Hourihan considered creating a website with the administration's weekly goals so the public can follow along.

Early questions during the debate reflected the newness of the job, with moderator Danielle Lerner asking each candidate what was falling through the cracks in the current administration that a lieutenant governor could address. The answers were notably similar.

"I think we need to restore the collaboration and the communication with the Legislature," Kerr said. "I served under Gov. Hobbs and I can tell you from firsthand knowledge that any type of communication and strong leadership was totally absent as I tried to work with her administration on different bills. It was incredibly frustrating."

Mohan agreed that "communication is everything, and working across party lines is incredibly important."

No Labels candidate outlines policy agenda

The debate gave Mohan her largest public platform yet to highlight the No Labels ticket's ideas. Their  approach would be "truly about people over politics," Mohan said.

Mohan said, if elected, she and Hourihan would not impose new taxes and would examine waste and fraud in government programs. They would support a temporary moratorium on applications from new large-scale data centers.

They support school choice but also would put more money into public school classrooms, which Mohan said would incentivize families to return their children to public schools.

On mail-in voting, Mohan said the current system was not "completely broken" but needed improvements, suggesting biometric identifiers and other investments could help "secure that process."

On water policy, Mohan said the No Labels administration would address availability with greater urgency and commended Nevada for a sewage water recycling program she said Arizona should consider.

Biggs and Kerr previously outlined their goals at a September campaign event. Kerr reiterated at the debate the GOP ticket wants to remove the state's income tax, speed up election results, and support the school voucher program called Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, including more front-end scrutiny of purchases made through the program.

Kerr uses stage to attack Hobbs, Giles

Kerr used many of her answers to attack Hobbs' administration, whose pick for lieutenant governor was not onstage to defend himself.

Former Republican John Giles, a former Mesa mayor who Hobbs named her No. 2 in August, previously confirmed he would not debate. Hobbs, who did not debate during her 2022 campaign, also chose not to participate in an Oct. 6 debate against Biggs.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to share the Biggs-Kerr vision, to restore Arizona to her full potential," Kerr said. "It's an absolute disgrace that Gov. Hobbs and John Giles will not participate in this debate, and disrespect the voters. They deserve to hear what your future plans are for our state."

A fourth candidate also skipped the debate. Lisa Castillo, the running mate of Green Party nominee Risa Lombardo, did not respond to a debate invitation, according to the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, which puts on the debates in partnership with the Arizona Media Association.

Kerr said she and Biggs were "not going to govern by veto," a nod to the more than 500 bills Hobbs has killed in four years working opposite a GOP-majority Legislature. She said that, if elected, she would provide continuity in terms of Biggs' leadership and ideology if she were to succeed him in the role.

What job will the first No. 2 hold?

The new role was created by a voter-approved 2022 law that says the lieutenant governor, not the secretary of state, takes over if the governor cannot finish their term.

The governor must also appoint their running mate to a job in the administration, like leading a state agency or serving as their chief of staff.

Mohan said she could serve as Hourihan's chief of staff, subject to a full audit of the state government to decide the best role.

Kerr said the GOP ticket was discussing different cabinet positions she could take, though the campaign has previously suggested her experience best suits her to lead the Arizona Department of Agriculture.

Early voting in Arizona begins Oct. 7. Election Day is Nov. 3.