As RedState reported Saturday, a melodramatic scene unfolded at a town hall event in Arizona after Republican Kari Lake showed up in the audience. Democrat Katie Hobbs, who is running for governor against Lake, freaked out and refused to come out of her green room to face her opponent. Eventually, Lake left the premises after being asked to do so by the event’s organizers.
Maybe Hobbs should have stayed in that green room, though, because once she took the stage, things went even further downhill. This is what bombing looks like.
Hobbs has steadfastly refused to debate Lake, going so far as to ensure they are never in the same room. Unfortunately, many of the organizations hosting these events have given in to her demands, something they would never do if it a Republican were making them. Regardless, if you were wondering why Hobbs won’t get near Lake, that clip provides the answer in stunning color. She’s a terrible politician, a textbook Karen, and so obviously not ready for primetime.
If you can’t watch the clip, Hobbs is asked a simple question about something she’s learned from the Latino community, which makes up one-third of the state, over her time in government. As softballs go, they don’t get any softer, and in no way was the host trying to trip her up. There are so many ways for a competent politician to answer that question, even if they weren’t expecting it. Hobbs could have immediately said she values the family culture Latinos espouse, their religious adherence, their work ethic, or even how great their food is. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that the Mexican food in Arizona and New Mexico is amazing and superior to Tex-Mex (don’t kill me…lol).
Instead of hitting those easy pitches lobbed over the plate, though, Hobbs put together a word salad that would have made Kamala Harris proud. She suggested that she doesn’t think of things in those terms and has learned from everyone, an obvious dodge in an attempt to buy time so she could think of a better response. When the host followed up, she went completely blank with an “uh” before finally fumbling out a somewhat passable answer about work ethic.
Every time I see Hobbs in a public appearance, I’m struck by how out of place she seems. If you were to put a picture of her up with her policies listed beside it, nine out of ten people would guess she’s running for office in Oregon. There’s nothing about her that says “Arizona.” By contrast, when you hear Lake speak, she highlights the culture, and you can be sure that she’d have hit such an easy question about the Latino community out of the park.
Arizonans should take this as another example of why Hobbs doesn’t deserve their vote. She can’t handle even the slightest amount of pressure, which is why she’s spent the last year (both in the primary and general elections) running from any tough questions. Imagine her having to negotiate on behalf of her state. It’d be an absolute disaster. For that reason alone, among many others, Lake is the better choice.