As newly-elected Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) delivered her first State of the State speech, only a handful of Republican lawmakers acknowledged her position and presence. Now, a new analysis is explaining how their actions might be problematic for their political futures.
In fact, some far-right Republicans actually walked out on the new Democratic governor, who is the state's first since 2006. Shortly after Hobbs' speech, multiple Arizona Republican lawmakers released statements condemning the governor.
"It took 5 seconds for Katie Hobbs to begin legislating from the 9th floor, so I will not listen to her rhetoric for even 5 seconds," newly-elected Rep. Rachel Jones, R-Tucson, tweeted.
“We could not sit idly by while she repeatedly declared her intention to advance her woke agenda that stands at odds with the people of our state,” Rep. Jacqueline Parker (R-Mesa) also said in a press release.
The Republican caucus released a collective statement echoing similar concerns.
“As was foreseeable, Katie Hobbs utilized the time-honored State of the State Address to once again promote her radical, woke policy initiatives, rather than address the profoundly serious concerns that Arizonans have regarding the political and fiscal realities of daily life,” the group said in the press release.
But Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts explained why these lawmakers will soon be irrelevant following their latest "publicity stunt" on Monday.
"The Republicans who walked out on Monday – unwilling even to listen to what the governor had to say -- will, in the end, have no voice in how Arizona is governed," Roberts wrote. "A split government, after all, requires compromise, and compromise requires a level of maturity not seen in the snowflakes who couldn't stand even to listen on Day 1 to what Arizona's new governor had to say."
She concluded, "Monday's stunt was the first step to irrelevance."