Arizona’s governor was out of the state for a day this week, prompting false claims that she’d abruptly resigned or vanished entirely. Here are the facts:
CLAIM: Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has suddenly resigned, leaving the state’s treasurer in charge.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The Democrat, who has been the target of misinformation since taking office this year, was out of state for meetings in Washington for a day, so the state treasurer briefly served as acting governor. Arizona’s constitution calls for the next highest ranking elected official physically in the state to assume the role in the governor’s absence. Hobbs returned to Arizona on Thursday and resumed her duties, including attending an event with President Joe Biden.
THE FACTS: Hobbs’ brief trip on Wednesday was wildly misrepresented on social media and conservative news sites.
Critics and news headlines claimed her absence was “mysterious” or “unexplained,” suggesting the governor disappeared without notice, leaving another state official suddenly running the show.
“She has now stepped down as Arizona governor, and it’s raising questions,” claimed one Facebook user in a widely shared video posted on Thursday.
“BREAKING: Katie Hobbs has resigned from her role as the Governor of Arizona,” read another post on Gettr Thursday.
“Republican State Treasurer Kimberly Yee is currently the Acting Governor,” wrote another user on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter on Wednesday. “The reason is unknown.”...
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