Gov. Katie Hobbs began her 100th day in office on Wednesday with a worn-out veto stamp and a desire for progress on an official budget.
In the past three months, Hobbs has used her executive authority against multiple Republican-sponsored bills in the Arizona State Legislature. She has vetoed 48 bills since taking office, 17 of which were in the first week of April.
Every bill that has met Hobbs' veto stamp this session has been Republican-sponsored.
With a news conference on Wednesday, Hobbs hailed the 53 bills she has signed into law with bipartisan support.
"Let’s put partisanship aside and focus on the work we are sent here to do," Hobbs said during the news conference. "Arizonans deserve no less."
Hobbs' initial 100-day plan focused on her top priorities, including improving access to education, growing the state economy, and issues regarding immigration and border security, among other priorities.
"Looking back on these first 100 days, we’ve already taken action on so many urgent issues," Hobbs said during the news conference.
Hobbs specifically called out her work with reproductive rights, which was an important issue to young people across the state during the midterm elections in November 2022. 44% of voters aged 18- to 29-years-old said abortion was the most important issue to them during midterms.
Aileen Rocha, a junior studying clinical exercise science, said her key reason to vote was to help people maintain the rights to their own bodies.
"One of the biggest things (young people) are outspoken about is reproductive rights," Rocha said. "It was vital for her (Hobbs) campaign that she took that stance."
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At the conference, Hobbs said she plans to work with Republicans in the legislature to address her priorities of housing, water and funding for education. She said as she and the legislature come closer to a resolved budget, movements to address these issues will progress.
Rocha said Hobbs has to act on the priorities she laid out because the younger generation is "very outspoken on what we like."
Hobbs’ work over the past months has yet to reach the lives of many students. Sidney Casillas, a freshman studying public health, said they haven't heard of anything Hobbs has accomplished.
"I honestly think young people don't know much about her accomplishments because majority of us learn things through social media," Casillas said. "Right now the media is focused on all the things she hasn't done."
Many Arizonans have yet to declare their stance on the Democratic governor. A recent poll said 44% of Arizonans approve of the job Hobbs has done, with 37% disapproving and 20% with no opinion. The skepticism rests primarily with Republicans and independents.
The governor shared the highlights of her first 100 days which listed 16 actions. Of the highlights, Hobbs mentioned three executive orders, establishing the Office of Resiliency and other broader actions.
As the first Democratic governor in 14 years, students say Hobbs will have to work with Republicans for more bipartisan compromises in the coming years.
"Bipartisan compromises are one of the only ways for things to actually get done and to make the majority of constitutes satisfied," Casillas said.
Edited by Shane Brennan, Jasmine Kabiri and Caera Learmonth.
Reach the reporter at alysa.horton@gmail.com and follow @alysa_horton on Twitter.
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Alysa is a senior studying journalism and mass communication with a minor in political science. This is her fifth semester with The State Press. She has also worked at The Arizona Republic.
