Arizona Gov. Candidate Katie Hobbs “I don’t want to talk politics to anyone who I don’t know”

• Katie Hobbs, Democrat Arizona Gubernatorial Candidate: An Uber driver asked me “‘Oh, what do you do?’ And I was like, ‘Uh, I work for a campaign.’ I don’t know why I said that -- I just didn’t want to have this conversation. And he’s like, ‘Oh, Kari Lake?’ And I was like, ‘F**k no!’ I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to talk politics to anyone who I don’t know.”
• Joe Wolf, Head Political Consultant, Hobbs Campaign: Hobbs would support an assault weapons ban “if she could, yeah. I mean the problem is that it’s a federal issue, right?”
• Wolf: “Because it's a federal issue and like, you know, there's nothing she could do about it -- at least immediately, right? And some kind of advocating for it publicly, which is really more impactful once you're governor. So, it’s kind of like, this state is crazy about their guns, so we're not gonna take the beating for it before she can do anything about it.”
• Wolf: “That is an AR-15 [in our car] … Easier to fire than a handgun … That’s why it’s scary.”
• Nicole DeMont, Campaign Manager, Hobbs Campaign: “When Clean Elections was like, ‘Here’s the debate format,’ it was exactly the same as the primary. It was like, we’re not gonna put her [Hobbs] in that, like she’s not gonna be a part of something like that. Like, if you wanna make a format that actually allows for a substantive policy debate, where you can compare positions, sure we’ll do that…So, they want to see Kari [Lake] create this spectacle. We’re not participating in that…We’re doing a bunch of forums where we can actually hear both sides.”

[PHOENIX – Oct. 11, 2022] Project Veritas Action released a new video today exposing Democrat Arizona Gubernatorial Candidate, Katie Hobbs’, concealment of her position on guns. Hobbs also admits to avoiding policy conversations with constituents, and her campaign discusses how to keep the candidate away from the debate stage.

Joe Wolf, who serves as the Hobbs Campaign’s Head Political Consultant, opened up about his candidate’s position on guns and why it’s not worth telling the public for now:
PVA Journalist: Would Katie [Hobbs] support something like an assault weapons ban?
Wolf: If she could, yeah. I mean, the problem is that it’s a federal issue, right?
PVA Journalist: Right, or like if something came down in the states.

Wolf: Yeah.

PVA Journalist: Because I noticed like, [Senator Mark] Kelly is kind of open about it and I know Katie [Hobbs] said like, “Oh, she supports gun reform.” But I haven't heard anything explicit. Is that more just because--- is there like a big difference between--
Wolf: Policy wise? No. Between the people -- so much is just because it's a federal issue and like, you know, there's nothing she could do about it -- at least immediately, right? And some kind of advocating for it publicly, which is really more impactful once you're governor. So, it's kind of like, this state is crazy about their guns, so we're not gonna take the beating for it before she can do anything about it.
PVA Journalist: Oh. So, if she mentioned it publicly, that would not be good?
Wolf: I don't -- I don't know. More likely than not.

In another instance, Wolf was recorded in a car discussing the AR-15 that is used to protect Hobbs when she is being transported between campaign stops:

PVA Journalist: Is that an AR-15?

Wolf: That is an AR-15…

PVA Journalist: It can fit in a backpack?

Wolf: Yeah, this folds down…Easier to fire than a handgun.

PVA Journalist: Really? Yeah. Wow. That's kind of scary.

Wolf: That's why it's scary.

The candidate herself, Hobbs, is featured in the video describing a seemingly uncomfortable situation in an Uber ride when the driver asked about her work.

“I was like, ‘Uh, I work for a campaign.’ I don’t know why I said that -- I just didn’t want to have this conversation. And he’s like, ‘Oh, Kari Lake?’ And I was like, ‘F**k no!’ I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to talk politics to anyone who I don’t know,” Hobbs said.

Her campaign manager, Nicole DeMont, reinforced the notion that Hobbs wishes to avoid talking to Arizona constituents.
“When Clean Elections was like, ‘Here’s the debate format,’ it was exactly the same as the primary. It was like, we’re not gonna put her [Hobbs] in that, like she’s not gonna be a part of something like that,” DeMont said.

“Like, if you wanna make a format that actually allows for a substantive policy debate, where you can compare positions, sure we’ll do that…So, they want to see Kari [Lake] create this spectacle. We’re not participating in that…We’re doing a bunch of forums where we can actually hear both sides,” she said.

Jasper Adams, a Field Organizer who works at Mission for Arizona, which is tied to Arizona’s Democrat Party campaigns, elaborated on Hobbs’ insistence to avoid debates with Kari Lake:

Adams: I'm scared. Yeah. We have a lot of concerns about Katie's campaign.

PVA Journalist: Why?

Adams: Lots of stuff…She's not debating Kari Lake which is--

PVA Journalist: Why not?

Adams: We don't know. So that sort of thing--

PVA Journalist: Really? How do you not know? You're in her campaign.

Adams: Between us, when we had a big staff training, her Communications Director came in and -- she's only been in the job for a few weeks, she was not prepared, and she was like, “What are the questions you're getting that you want an answer for from the campaign? Like, what are we hearing from voters and volunteers?” And the number one thing is, “Why aren't you debating Kari Lake?” And she did not have an answer, and it's like, you gotta know that's the question that's coming.

PVA Journalist: Wait, so Katie's employee didn't have an answer or Katie didn't?

Adams: Well, she's the Communications Director, so she makes the message.

PVA Journalist: Okay.

Adams: So, she makes the message, so -- the campaign doesn't have an answer. They basically said only Democrats care about debates and it's not going to change anything.

PVA Journalist: Yeah. But she is a Democrat.

Adams: She was saying -- they were saying only Democratic voters care. So, they're not going to lose any votes because Democrats are going to vote for her anyway, which is -- which maybe is true. But as a politician, you never want to say, “Oh, I'm taking these votes for granted…I do wonder how much -- like whether people actually care about this.

PVA Journalist: Care about what?

Adams: Like, the debate thing.

PVA Journalist: Oh. I think people do, right?

Adams: I don't know.

PVA Journalist: I mean, you said that's like the number one question you're getting.

Adams: That's like a big question. Especially from volunteers. I don’t know about the voters. The average voter doesn't know about this.

PVA Press Secretary, RC Maxwell, asked candidate Hobbs questions about these recordings, and she evaded questions by departing with Wolf in a car after spilling a drink and hiding in a bathroom.

Project Veritas Action also reached out to the Hobbs campaign via email and has not heard back at the time of publishing.