Arizona governor has not stepped down, despite online rumors

"Katie Hobbs mysteriously stepped down as Governor. What is going on in Arizona???" a September 28, 2023 Facebook post claimed prior to being corrected.

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Screenshot of a Facebook post taken October 3, 2023

Similar posts appeared on other social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X, where conservative influencers like podcast host Benny Johnson amplified the claim.

Hobbs, winner of the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial race, is a frequent target of misinformation, repeatedly fending off false claims from her opponent, Republican Kari Lake, who has claimed the election was rigged despite official results.

And while Arizona's governor was temporarily out of the state from the evening of September 27, until the late morning of September 28, new falsities circulated online claiming she had resigned from her executive role.

The rumor appears to have been sparked by a misleading article published by Fox News titled: "Arizona governor mysteriously steps down for one day," which has since been updated.

But Hobbs remains the governor of Arizona after a brief transferring of authority, as is required by law, to attend an out-of-state meeting -- a trip that lasted less than 24 hours.

"Hobbs didn't disappear. She was in Washington, DC, on Wednesday for a meeting about border issues with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas," said Christian Slater, the governor's communications director, in a September 29, X post.

Arizona legislation requires that when the governor is absent from the state, the responsibility falls to the next available official in the line of succession (archived here).

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and State Attorney General Kris Mayes were also attending meetings in DC, The Arizona Republic reported, making State Treasurer Kimberly Yee next in line to fill in until their return. Before her short stint as acting governor, Yee issued a statement outlining the time in which she would be doing so.

"I have been notified that I will be serving as Acting Governor beginning later this evening until mid-morning tomorrow," says an X post she shared on September 27.

Hobbs returned to Arizona on September 28, to welcome President Joe Biden as he announced the construction of the John S McCain Education and Community Center in Tempe, according to a statement released by her office (archived here). This is also reflected in the official White House transcript from the event (archived here).

Hobbs has remained active in her role since, and on October 2 declared she would not be renewing a Saudi-owned farm's Bulter Valley leases that allowed unlimited access to the state's groundwater.

AFP has debunked multiple claims about US Politics here.