PHOENIX — The most important aspect of a free and fair election is also a pillar of democracy; every voter gets a voice.
As the November 8 election looms, ABC15 wanted to include the voice of the voter in our election coverage.
To that end, our reporters went into the community to ask Arizonans about key issues they want the next governor of Arizona to focus on once elected.
We then took those questions to the candidates themselves: Republican nominee Kari Lake, and Democratic nominee Katie Hobbs.
According to the latest poll released by OH Predictive Insights, Arizona’s race for Governor is “too close to call.”
The poll, released on Friday, October 14, shows Kari Lake leading by a narrow margin at 47%, with Katie Hobbs trailing by 3% at 44%. However, the poll accounts for a 3.77% margin of error with 9% of those polled telling OH they are undecided, the race could swing either way by the November 8 election night.
Our reporters asked Hobbs and Lake how they plan to address the following issues if elected to the governorship.
THE BORDER
One of the biggest topics in Arizona politics is the U.S.-Mexico border.
Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that between January and August of 2022, over 383,000 people crossed the border at Arizona’s Yuma and Tucson points of entry. Nationwide, the number of border crossings at the Southwest border as a whole surpassed 1.6 million.
We asked voters what they thought Arizona’s future governor should do when it comes to immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.
One voter, Jesus Diaz, said he wanted to see immigration reform evaluated, especially because he’s seen close friends and relatives “have to struggle with that.”
“Immigration reform regarding like, steps to make it more easy, easier for people to come into our country. Because not everybody has the opportunity, or resources or information outside of our country to help enforce that and make it easier for them,” Diaz said. “And if we took a bigger stance on that, to help provide those resources, I believe that it would make a big impact. And that's done through our elected representatives that we have.”
Lawrence S., a voter, told ABC15 reporter Luzdelia Caballero that he wanted to see a MAGA supermajority of Republicans sweep the nation during the 2022 midterm elections. He said he believes every nation has a right to manage its borders.
“I don’t believe we should have open borders,” he said. “If you want to come into this country, come into this country legally.”
Steve Jarvis, who told ABC15 reporter Courtney Holmes he’s lived in Phoenix for 56 years, took a more middle-of-the-road stance.
“I think there's got to be a balance between letting people in, you mean, and giving them the opportunity to for a better life, but not making sure we're taking too much away from our citizens here already,” he said.
Kari Lake has taken a tough stance on the border since she started campaigning for office.
Under her plan for the border, Lake told ABC15 Political Reporter Mark Phillips that she plans to invoke Article One, Section Ten of the U.S. Consitution, which she believes gives her the authority to declare an invasion on the Arizona border, and use resources to respond to it.
“I will issue a declaration of invasion on day one. Hour one,” Lake said. “First thing we're going to do. And we're going to send the National Guard. We're going to send other resources. State resources down to key areas along the border where people are coming in.”
Hobbs, whose border plan has been endorsed by the sheriffs of Pima and Santa Cruz, told ABC15’s Jordan Bontke she wants to focus on providing more intelligence and resources to law enforcement and local communities surrounding the border.
“I'm going to focus on making sure that, that Arizona resources are going to help those border communities and provide meaningful relief to Arizonans who have borne the brunt of decades of inaction from Washington on this issue,” Hobbs said. “And we need Washington to act. As governor, I will work with our congressional delegation to help get comprehensive reform over the finish line.”
INFLATION
Nearly every voter we spoke with pointed to inflation as a key issue they want the future governor of Arizona to tackle once in office.
The latest Consumer Price Index released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the nationwide inflation rate is 8.2%, one of the highest inflation rates seen in 40 years.
Stephon Kelly, one voter we talked to, told ABC15 reporter Courtney Holmes he wants to see the next governor figure out a way for the middle class to be able to afford the things that “they used to be able to afford.”
“I want them to be able to put a plan in place that we can afford to things and afford to live the way that we live,” Kelly said. “People shouldn't have to work two or three jobs to you know, afford basic needs.”
Hobbs’ plan to address inflation calls for tax cuts on school supplies and over-the-counter medication, among other things.
“We also have a plan to put people back to work and higher paying jobs by addressing the access to childcare assistance and refundable tax credit for pursuing career and technical education,” Hobbs said.
Lake told ABC15 Political Reporter Mark Phillips she wants to work with lawmakers and the legislature to get rid of food and rent taxes.
“We need to save pennies and dollars everywhere we can,” Lake said. “And also I want to get rid of the rent tax. I mean, we need a shelter over our heads and we shouldn't have to pay taxes on renting an apartment or a home to house our families.”
As ABC15 Political Reporter Mark Phillips noted, “Three of Arizona's largest cities, Phoenix, Tucson and Mesa do not have a food tax. According to the League of Arizona Cities and Towns the taxes combined accounted for $340 million in 2021,” he wrote. “Phoenix collected $83 million in rental taxes in 2021. Mayor Kate Gallego said most of the money goes to fund public safety and city parks. The impact of the tax cuts in rural communities could be severe. In many cases, those taxes help finance city services like police and fire. Rural communities don't have the retail tax base or property tax revenues which help support larger cities. Lake says the state will be able to pull from its surplus to help communities offset eliminating the taxes. Sam Stone, a Lake policy advisor estimates the budget surplus for the 2023 fiscal year to be $5 billion. But the Joint Legislative Budget Committee says the number is closer to $2.1 billion.”
ABORTION
Since the United States Supreme Court overturned the landmark case, Roe v. Wade, on June 24, 2022, abortion has become a key issue for voters across the country.
The Arizona Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative to put a pro-abortion measure on the Arizona ballot failed to collect enough signatures before the July 7 deadline. However, voters ABC15 spoke with continued to bring up access to abortion, or lack thereof, as a key issue as they prepare to approach the ballot box.
Nicole, a 23-year-old first-time voter, told ABC15’s Mark Phillips that abortion access was one of the main reasons she registered to vote this year.
“As a woman, I think that women’s rights are kind of being attacked,” she said.
Hobbs said if she is elected as Arizona’s next governor, she will call a special legislative session to repeal Arizona’s pre-statehood ban on abortion.
“The bottom line is that today there is no safe and legal abortion access in the state of Arizona,” Hobbs said. “And I've said on day one, I would call a special session to repeal that law.”
The fate of abortion in the state is heading to the Arizona Court of Appeals after Judge Peter J Eckerstrom issued an emergency stay temporarily blocking the enforcement of a nearly complete ban on abortions.
Not every voter we spoke with was disappointed by the court’s decision, however. Lawrence S. said he thinks the Supreme Court did the right thing overturning Roe v. Wade.
“They absolutely did the right thing. They took it took that issue back to the States. Let the state government deal with it,” he said.
Trump-endorsed Kari Lake has not said whether she’ll call for a special legislative session if elected.
“I would take a look at where the law is. And I think by then hopefully by January of next year, we'll have this figured out,” Hobbs told ABC15’s Mark Phillips. “My stance is that I'm pro-life and I want to save as many babies as possible.”
Lake noted she is pro-woman and wants to make sure women have access to healthcare and birth control. For women considering abortion, Lake said “On that day when they're making a difficult decision, I want to give them options. I want them to know, there is there is a way that you can have this baby. That you can be a mother,” pointing to prenatal healthcare and adoption as options available to women that don’t include abortion.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Arizona’s population is one of the fastest growing in the United States.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates over 7.1 million people lived in Arizona in 2020, with just over three million housing units available across the state.
With Arizona’s growing population comes a growing need, not just for housing, but affordable housing. Affordable housing means occupants spend 30% or less of their gross income on housing and utilities.
“I don't think that we have affordable housing at all. I know that there's no rental or no significant rental increase cap,” Nicole, a voter, told ABC15’s Luzdelia Caballero. “And I think that that's something that again, our local government needs to talk about facilitating because housing just isn't affordable in Arizona.”
According to the latest data from the Arizona Department of Housing, over 270,000 housing units are needed to keep up with the state’s current demand.
Both Lake and Hobbs pointed to supply and demand as a roadblock to providing affordable housing.
“As a governor, I would plan to work with local jurisdictions to remove statutory barriers that keep them from developing more affordable housing, and just ensure that that we're that we're working as a partner to help communities meet the housing needs of their of their citizens,” Hobbs said.
Lake said she wants to push cities and municipalities to make the permitting process easier and faster for builders, who she says are continually tied up by red tape, and unable to build as quickly as needed.
“We need to build more housing,” Lake said. “We're going to work, we do have a housing emergency, we're going to work to cut some of the red tape, make sure that we can get the permitting done faster.”
