Infighting among Arizona’s top Democrats has plunged the party into disarray, creating an unwelcome distraction for Gov. Katie Hobbs as she braces for a challenging reelection battle.
After President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, Arizona Democrats brought in a new leader, Robert Branscomb II, an insurance exec who had been a vice chair. But things got rocky fast. Branscomb butted heads with staff over hiring choices and claimed they were trying to undermine him by hiding financial records.
It started with Branscomb sending out a scathing email in April complaining that Arizona’s Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego were trying to threaten and intimate him over who to hire as the new executive director for the party. Branscomb said one of the senators texted him to say he “would no longer support or participate in state party fundraising.”
Later that day, Kelly and Gallego teamed up with Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Attorney General Kris Mayes fired back, accusing Branscomb of lying and saying he had “lost our trust,” in a letter of their own.
A public clash between Arizona’s Democratic Party chair and the state’s highest-ranking Democratic officeholders has exposed deep internal tensions in a pivotal battleground. The dispute threatens to undermine the party’s standing in a state recently won by Trump and where Democrats face high-stakes statewide contests in 2026, including the race for governor.
“The party is in absolute disarray as it relates to Hobbs, it’s definitely not great for her, because she is going to need them to run a campaign,” said a Democratic political operative in Arizona, speaking on the condition of anonymity to reflect candidly on the situation. “We use the state party ourselves for a lot of field stuff and it’s just not a good reflection of what’s going on for her.”
Branscomb did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner. The concern is echoed in Washington, where national Democrats are closely monitoring the situation.
“The Arizona Democratic Party is an absolute sh*t show, that really is embarrassing and it needs to get fixed,” said a national Democratic strategist based in Washington D.C.
“The chairman is an idiot and it needs to be resolved because you need a functioning state party to win for financial purposes, organizing purposes, all of that. It’s annoying that he seems to be grandstanding and making it all about himself,” the strategist said.
Hobbs Faces Steep Challenge
Hobbs is among one of the nation’s most vulnerable Democrats seeking re-elections in 2026. In 2022, she narrowly defeated her Republican opponent, Kari Lake by a margin of 17,117 votes, making it the tightest gubernatorial contest in Arizona since 1990. In 2024, Trump carried the state and Republicans maintained their hold on both chambers of the state’s legislature, but Gallego won an open Senate seat.
“The state is more Republican than people think it is, and I’m a little bit anxious about all these factors coming into play – I’m just very nervous about that gubernatorial race,” the Democratic strategist in D.C. said.
A Democratic consultant in Arizona speaking on the condition of anonymity acknowledges the situation looks terrible publicly and is a bad look for the party, but argues it ultimately doesn’t matter in terms of real political impact.
“In today’s day and age with FEC regulations and rules and laws of what they are, the state party is a clearinghouse for money,” the consultant explained. “As long as the party is functioning as a clearinghouse, allowing for the right kinds of dollars to move in and out accordingly to the needs of the campaigns, nothing else matters.”
Barrett Marson, a GOP strategist in Arizona echoed a similar message, pointing out last year that the Arizona Republican Party was also mired in internal chaos. The party faced public embarrassment over the abrupt resignation of its chairman, Jeff DeWit and struggles with money problems.
“The state party is not that relevant. While it would be better to not have this mishigas, it doesn’t matter to the voter,” Marson said. “The drama with the chairman may hurt fundraising but they’ll just move the fundraising to a county party, just like Republicans did.
However, political insiders on both sides agree that party infighting is a liability in a critical battleground state where Republicans enjoy a registration advantage of about 300,000 voters, Trump won decisively in November, and Hobbs is expected to face a much tougher challenger than in 2022.
“Kari Lake and some other crazy people have run statewide and that’s why Democrats hold the top three posts in the state,” Marson said. “If Republicans get back to nominating right-of-center sane candidates, they will win statewide elections again.”
Trump’s dual endorsements set stage for explosive primary
Andy Biggs, a hard-right former chair of the Freedom Caucus, and Karrin Taylor Robson, a businesswoman aligned with the party’s more moderate faction are both running in the GOP primary. Both candidates have received Trump’s endorsement, setting the stage for an intense primary battle.
So far, Robson has outpaced Biggs in fundraising. In the first six weeks of her campaign, Robson raised approximately $850,000, signaling strong early financial support. While figures for Biggs’s gubernatorial campaign are not publicly available, his previous congressional campaign reported a cash on hand of about $458,877.56 as of the end of 2024. Robson has a history of significant self-fundraising in the past, contributing over $13.3 million of her own money in her 2022 run.
Marson said Robson has taken over the airwaves with ads touting the Trump endorsement, while Biggs has not started advertising on TV but has turned to other channels like Turning Point Action which endorsed his campaign and has used their social media platforms to bolster his campaign.
“If Donald Trump endorses you, and you don’t have the money to tell the world, did he really endorse you,” Marson asked rhetorically. “I would say Hobb’s only chance of winning a second term is if Biggs is the nominee. But, that’s in no way a guarantee that she would beat him.”
The Democratic consultant based in Arizona with ties to Hobbs disagrees with Marson and argues that neither Biggs nor Robson are strong challengers.
“I’ve been running in campaigns here in the state for a while now, and I think I got a decent enough track record. Like, I just don’t see [Robson] as some like, golden ticket to getting a Republican back in office,” the person said. “I think Republicans are missing the mark again on putting up a compelling candidate to go take Katie Hobbs on.”
Hobbs Navigates Political Crosswinds
As secretary of state, Hobbs became a prominent figure for pushing back against Trump’s attempts to contest the 2020 election. Yet in her 2022 bid for governor, Hobbs adopted a noticeably quiet campaign style, frustrating supporters, fueling criticism that she was sidestepping the press, and inviting ridicule from Republicans who taunted, “Where’s Katie?”
She avoided campaigning for Kamala Harris last year, focusing instead on down-ballot races. She has largely held her fire, sometimes frustrating Democratic voters hungry for leaders to take on Trump.
Progressive lawmakers criticized her veto of a bipartisan housing bill and her support for a Trump-era migrant detention law. Teachers were frustrated by her inaction on private-school vouchers, while immigration activists were divided, she backed some enforcement measures but blocked others targeting ICE cooperation.
The Democratic consultant based in Arizona said Hobbs has built a narrative that appeals to Arizona’s electorate by positioning herself as balanced, dependable and sensible.
“I think she’s done a really good job of giving herself the citations she needs to make the case to Arizona voters that she is moderate, she’s middle of the road and that she’s trustworthy,” the person said. “You don’t have to love her, but you’re not going to hate her, and she is pragmatic, focused on growing the economy and stays away from inflammatory issues.”
Another Democratic operative notes that Hobbs’ favorability lags behind that of Arizona’s two Democratic senators.
In the latest Noble Predictive Insights poll, Hobbs has a decent favorability rating but Kelly scores a bit higher, while newly elected Gallego leads the pack.
“Hobbs is the weaker candidate for all intents and purposes especially when you compare her to [Mark Kelly] and [Ruben Gallego],” the person said. “We aren’t worried about the party chaos, but this all is a big problem for Hobbs.”
ARIZONA DEMOCRATIC PARTY DEVOLVES INTO DISORDER
Supporters of Hobbs contend that the key to her re-election prospects will ultimately be how voters view her when they head to the polls in November 2026.
“Trump is not popular, and he’s certainly not doing a whole lot to increase his favorables. I think the current governor will be in a good spot with the power of incumbency,” the Arizona-based Democratic consultant said.