Something weird is happening in Arizona. Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs assigned Republican State Treasurer Kimberly Yee as acting Governor from Wednesday night until mid-morning Thursday. No reason was announced and thus far there has been no credible speculation about what’s going on.
According to a press release from Yee’s office:
“I have been notified that I will be serving as Acting Governor beginning later this evening until mid-morning tomorrow. While I am pleased to step into this role, I will refrain from naming directors to the 13 agencies that currently have vacancies and will not call the Arizona Legislature into session to confirm them. That being said, I do hope when the Governor returns to Arizona, she will promptly name qualified directors to these important state agencies. I expect to see a swift resolution to this matter, so we can get back to getting the work done for Arizona taxpayers. The people of Arizona deserve leaders who follow the rule of law.”
🚨 BREAKING: Republican State Treasurer Kimberly Yee has announced she is currently the Acting Governor of Arizona, Katie Hobbs is no longer the Governor as of now for unknown reasons, but she is expected to return tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/Gyw9cJHlzb
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 28, 2023
Well, that’s odd. The release states that Hobbs is out of the state. The state is one of the few that does not have a Lt. Governor. When the Governor vacates, the line of succession goes Secretary of State, Attorney General, and THEN the State Treasurer. Secretary of State Adrian Fontes Attorney General Kris Mayes are both Democrats. Why did they get skipped? Are they leaving the state as well?
The Governor and the state legislature are currently engaged in a heated battle over state directors. On Monday, Hobbs withdrew her nominations after failing to get them confirmed. She named them as deputy directors instead, but Yee has refused to accept them because in her eyes the move by Hobbs is illegal.
Is all of this somehow tied together? Why would Hobbs bypass two higher ranking members of her own party to put Yee in charge for a few hours? Why did Yee note that she will not be naming nominees even though she has the power to do so temporarily?
What the heck is going on in Arizona? Join the conversation at The Liberty Daily Substack.
