Katie Hobbs: Arizona needs solutions, not Washington chaos

Arizona has a choice: We can bring Washington-style chaos and division to our state, or we can keep putting Arizona first and delivering real results for Arizona families.

I've spent the last four years proving that we don't have to follow Washington's playbook to tackle our biggest challenges. We can bring people together, stand up to powerful interests, and find Arizona solutions that actually work.

I've always believed that the job of governor is to put the people of Arizona ahead of partisan politics. That belief comes from my own experiences growing up in a working-class family in Tempe. When times were tough, we relied on food stamps and help from our church community. I worked at Burger King and waited tables to help pay for school. Years later, I raised two kids through the Great Recession, lost a home to foreclosure, and drove for Uber in 2016 to help buy Christmas presents for my kids. I know what it feels like when a family does everything right and still struggles to get ahead.

Those experiences have shaped how I govern. We've cut taxes for Arizona families every single year I've been in office, lowered prescription drug costs, erased medical debt for nearly 700,000 Arizonans, and worked to lower housing and utility costs.

We've also stopped more than 18 million fentanyl pills from coming into our communities. And I did what 23 governors and 55 legislatures couldn't or wouldn't do: I repealed our state's draconian 1864 total abortion ban that required prison time for doctors.

We've made real progress, but there's still more work to do. While Washington politicians keep fighting amongst themselves, I'm focused on delivering Arizona solutions that lower costs, strengthen our schools, protect our water, and create more opportunities for families across our state.

That starts with housing. Owning a home is slipping further out of reach for too many Arizona families. We've already cut red tape to lower costs, and over the next four years, I want to take that work even further. My plan clears the way for more starter homes and ensures Arizona families buy them, not out-of-state investors looking to make a quick buck. Housing should help Arizona families build wealth and stability.

We also need Arizona solutions for our schools. I'm the sister of two teachers, so I've seen what's possible when great educators have the support they need. My plan would leverage Arizona's greatest asset, our state land, to give teachers a raise and send billions to public schools without raising taxes. Arizona families are counting on us to put partisan politics aside and get this done. Every kid deserves a great school, no matter their zip code.

And we'll make sure every taxpayer dollar does what it's supposed to do. That means cracking down on waste, fraud, and abuse in the ESA entitlement program. My standard is simple: money meant to educate our kids should do just that, not be wasted on diamond rings and California theme parks.

In the last four years, I've stood up to foreign corporations, the federal government, and my own party to fight for Arizona's water because our leaders should put our water security above ideology. I ended the leases of a Saudi Arabian corporation that was pumping Arizona's groundwater unchecked to ship their crops overseas. I'm pushing a bipartisan proposal to give rural Arizonans a real say in how their groundwater is managed so that family farms don't get left behind. Arizona's water security isn't a Democratic or Republican issue — it's an Arizona issue — and I'll never stop fighting to secure our water future.

Arizonans shouldn't have to wait for Washington to get its act together before we lower costs, build homes, strengthen our schools, or protect our water.

That's what putting Arizona first means to me: standing up for our state, working with anyone who's serious about getting results, and putting the needs of Arizona families ahead of partisan politics.

Washington politicians can keep their partisan fighting. I'll keep fi ghting for Arizona-first solutions that move our state forward.