Katie Hobbs’ reign as governor of Arizona is off to a rough start. She was booed at the Phoenix Open this past weekend. She looked foolish in an interview before the Super Bowl with Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream—who called out Hobbs for opposing school choice even though she attended a private school. And her pick to lead the Arizona Democratic Party, Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo, was rejected.
That’s not a good look for a governor who’s been in office just over a month. And it’s probably why, at this point, Hobbs has chosen to rule by executive action. But her latest failure may be her worst to date.
Earlier this week, Hobbs’ pick to lead the Department of Health Services (DHS), Dr. Theresa Cullen, failed miserably when the Senate rejected her nomination. Back in December, Dr. Cullen was among the first cabinet members Hobbs announced for her term as Arizona governor. And it was destined to be a disaster. As the Director of the Pima County Public Health Department since June 2020, Dr. Cullen mandated masks, shuttered schools, and prided herself on locking down the county during COVID. She imposed an illegal “voluntary” curfew from 10 pm to 5 am for residents. And she tried to force vaccines while even going so far as to say, “It’s the ultimate arrogance and privilege to think that you don’t need to get immunized.”
This is who Katie Hobbs nominated to oversee our state’s health department. And it was Radical Left appointees like Dr. Cullen that prompted Senate President Warren Petersen to form the Arizona Senate Committee on Director Nominations to recommend a course of action for the Senate to take on each individual. After vetting Dr. Cullen’s past, that committee called into question her ability to lead the DHS and voted against recommending her nomination to the Senate. The Senate then followed suit and officially rejected her. But it can’t stop there.
Hobbs is well aware that we have a divided government that can keep her in check at the legislature. And it’s clear that she plans to do most of her damage through the administrative state. That’s why Republican lawmakers must be prepared to fight back against her radical appointments to various boards, commissions, and state agencies. After all, Dr. Theresa Cullen isn’t the only one.
Just look at who Hobbs nominated for the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Karen Peters is currently the Deputy City Manager for the city of Phoenix, and she is responsible for the city’s environmental plan that dictated it become a C40 city. C40 is a network of mayors who are committed to forcing Green New Deal mandates in their respective cities. As a part of this absurd plan, Phoenix essentially wants to reduce emissions and ban fossil fuels. And to do so, it would require transportation demand management, which basically means that it would track people’s mileage and fine them for driving too far.
It’s bad enough that Hobbs has already pledged to install more electric vehicle charging stations—which have been proven to provide no environmental friendliness—while pushing for an ill-advised commuter rail in Phoenix. If Peters’ nomination is approved, we can expect even more extreme policies when it comes to so-called climate change.
But the Republican-led legislature can put a stop to Peters—and any other radical leftists that Hobbs tries to push as a part of her cabinet. Stopping Dr. Theresa Cullen was a great start, but there’s more work to be done. Now, our lawmakers must be willing to do whatever it takes to expose Hobbs’ nominations. Otherwise, Arizona could start to look like another California.
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