Democratic governors group pledges $10M to boost Hobbs

The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) announced Tuesday that it's making an "initial investment" of $10 million to help Gov. Katie Hobbs win a second term.

Why it matters: Hobbs is considered the most vulnerable Democratic governor seeking re-election this year.

The intrigue: The Republican Governors Association (RGA) hasn't yet spent in Arizona or publicly announced whether it'll do so to help GOP nominee Andy Biggs.

Asked whether the RGA would spend in Arizona, spokesperson Kollin Crompton said only that "Democrats see just how big of a disaster Katie Hobbs truly is."

Biggs flew to Colorado on the morning of the primary election last week to meet with the RGA.

Between the lines: The Cook Political Report rates Arizona's governor race as leaning Democratic, and what little polling has been publicly released for the general election matchup recently favors Hobbs.

The national political climate is expected to favor Democrats.

Yes, but: The GOP holds a substantial voter registration advantage in Arizona — there are about 1.5 million registered Republicans and 1.2 million registered Democrats — and that gap is wider than it was when Hobbs narrowly won in 2022.

What they're saying: DGA chair and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said "the stakes are incredibly high and the DGA is keeping its foot on the gas to ensure Gov. Hobbs is re-elected and can continue putting Arizona first."

The other side: Responding to the DGA investment, Biggs spokesperson Drew Sexton wrote on X that Democrats are "seeing the same things we're seeing. Katie Hobbs is weak, vulnerable, and has nothing to run on for Arizonans."

Hobbs spokesperson Michael Beyer tells Axios that is "laughable" and portrays the lack of GOP spending for Biggs as a sign that national Republicans view him as weaker than 2022 nominee Kari Lake.

Flashback: In March 2022, the RGA booked more than $10 million in airtime to defend GOP control of the Arizona governor's office.

The group spent heavily in the general election to aid Lake, who lost to Hobbs by 17,000 votes.