Where was Katie Hobbs during Kamala Harris' speech in Arizona? It's a mystery
Gov. Katie Hobbs was notably absent from the lineup of Arizona Democrats who spoke at an energetic rally headlined by her party’s presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, earlier this month.
That the state's Democratic governor would decline an invitation to an event that sought to project party unity — and momentum — after weeks of volatility on the presidential ticket left some scratching their heads.
Hobbs told reporters she had a “personal conflict” and declined to say more. A copy of her official schedule obtained by The Arizona Republic, a Paste BN Network partner, provides clues as to her day, though it remains something of a mystery.
The Harris campaign confirmed Hobbs had been invited to speak at the Aug. 9 rally in Glendale. The rally began before 4 p.m. and concluded with Harris as the final speaker, wrapping up about 6:15 p.m. that Friday.
That afternoon, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., Hobbs had a meeting at the Capitol on the calendar with Chad Campbell, her chief of staff, followed by time to discuss scheduling. There was nothing on the calendar from 4:45 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Hobbs' schedule was obtained through a request made under Arizona Public Records Law.
From 6 to 8 p.m., Hobbs had a “block” on her schedule that includes no details about the nature or location of that commitment. Her spokesperson, Christian Slater, declined to comment in detail.
“There’s a block there," he said. “We block off time frequently and again we're just not going to comment on the ins and outs of it.”
Harris and her newly named running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, were on a tour of swing states. The duo made five stops that week, and four of those rallies were in states led by Democratic governors. Those Democratic governors spoke at the rallies in all states except Arizona, according to media coverage and videos of those events.
Skipping the Glendale rally wasn’t for Hobbs' lack of support of the ticket.
Hobbs has said Harris exemplified “a new generation of leadership that will move past the divisiveness and unite us around our shared American values.”
And when Harris announced Walz would be the vice presidential nominee — just days before the pair visited Arizona — Hobbs said she was "absolutely thrilled” with the choice. Another vice-presidential contender, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., spoke at the Glendale rally before Walz.
Nicole DeMont, Hobbs’ chief political strategist, said Hobbs was “focused on doing her job as governor.”
“Gov. Hobbs saw coverage of the rally and was excited to see so much enthusiasm from Arizonans who are fired up for the Harris-Walz campaign,” DeMont said.
DeMont also said Hobbs planned to attend the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week. Hobbs departed on Tuesday and was scheduled to speak on a Wednesday panel with other Democratic women governors hosted by "Veep" and "Seinfeld" actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Hobbs was also elsewhere the day before the rally when a group of Democratic officials greeted Harris at the Phoenix airport.
She instead attended a rural policy forum in Clarkdale at noon and a listening session related to the state’s microbusiness loan program, according to the Governor’s Office. The loan program created last year makes up to $5 million available to fund businesses with five or fewer employees.
In between, she stopped for “lunch at a local small business,” Slater confirmed.
Lunch was at Caduceus Cellars’ exclusive Ventura Room, an enterprise of musician-turned-winemaker Maynard James Keenan. Keenan posted a picture with Hobbs on social media and wrote that he was honored to feed her and her team.
A visit to the Ventura Room costs $269 for one person before tax and includes wine, food and a tour, according to its website.
No taxpayer dollars were spent for the governor’s visit, and Hobbs did not have wine, Slater said.
A governor’s schedule is often a hectic and around-the-clock juggle of official and personal events. Eileen Klein, former chief of staff to Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, said governors face competing demands on their time.
“A governor's schedule is often made weeks and months in advance, including planning time for personal and family events,” Klein said. “It is a constant challenge to balance all of the demands on a governor's time, and schedules cannot always be changed at the last minute.”
Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.