Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs won a second term as Arizona governor on Tuesday, defeating Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs in a high-profile contest that drew national attention and tens of millions of dollars in campaign and outside spending.

CBS News, NBC News, Decision Desk HQ, and other outlets projected Hobbs the winner Tuesday night shortly after the first major batches of results were released. Unofficial returns showed Hobbs leading by roughly 16 points, with about 57 percent of the vote to Biggs’ approximately 41 percent. Minor candidates, including Green Party nominee Risa Lombardo and No Labels candidate Teri Ann Hourihan, each drew under 1 percent. The result continues a long streak in which no incumbent Arizona governor has lost re-election in more than six decades and marks the first time a Democrat has won consecutive gubernatorial terms in the state since Janet Napolitano in 2006.

Hobbs, 56, first won the governorship in 2022 by less than one percentage point over Republican Kari Lake. A former social worker who specialized in domestic violence, homelessness, and behavioral health, she previously served as Arizona secretary of state from 2019 to 2023 and as a member of the state Legislature, including two terms as Senate minority leader. Born and raised in the Phoenix area, she earned degrees in social work from Northern Arizona University and Arizona State University before entering politics. In her first term she faced a Republican-controlled Legislature and issued a large number of vetoes, while highlighting bipartisan legislation on issues including housing, water, and economic development.

She ran for re-election as a moderate, emphasizing border security, tax relief, and opposition to certain Trump administration policies. Her running mate was former Mesa Mayor John Giles, a longtime Republican who changed his registration. The 2026 race was Arizona’s first joint election for governor and lieutenant governor, a new office created by voters in 2022 that places the lieutenant governor first in the line of succession.

Biggs, 67, a five-term congressman representing a heavily Republican district in the eastern Phoenix suburbs, won the GOP nomination in July after defeating fellow Rep. David Schweikert and other candidates. A former Arizona Senate president and chair of the House Freedom Caucus, he is a close ally of President Donald Trump, who endorsed him and campaigned for him in the state. Trump carried Arizona by roughly five points in 2024.

Biggs, who previously served 14 years in the state Legislature, campaigned on eliminating the state income tax, expanding school choice, reducing regulation, and strengthening border security. He criticized Hobbs’ veto record and faced questions about his role in efforts to challenge the 2020 election results. Outside groups, including Turning Point USA-affiliated organizations, spent heavily on his behalf.

The race featured substantial spending. Hobbs’ campaign raised roughly $15 million and spent about $17.8 million through the end of September, according to campaign finance reports and contemporaneous coverage, compared with roughly $5 million to $5.8 million raised and spent by Biggs’ campaign over a similar period. Outside organizations poured additional tens of millions into the contest on both sides. Democratic groups, including arms of the Democratic Governors Association, directed large sums through party committees and other vehicles, with reports citing more than $30 million in spending tied to efforts supporting Hobbs or opposing Biggs. Republican-aligned spending included millions from Turning Point-related groups. The structure of Arizona campaign finance rules, involving multiple accounts and party committees, made precise totals difficult to isolate, but the overall volume ranked among the most expensive gubernatorial races in the country.

Hobbs’ victory keeps the governorship in Democratic hands in a battleground state that has alternated between the parties in recent cycles. Democrats also held the attorney general and secretary of state offices.