Agency Appointees Brace for Repeat of 2023 Senate Confirmation Chaos

Governor Katie Hobbs faces significant challenges in confirming her nominees for state agencies as Senate Republicans plan to follow the contentious confirmation process used last year. The announcement comes after Republicans gained strengthened majorities in the House and Senate.

Senate President Warren Petersen was reelected, with Senator Jake Hoffman reappointed to head the Committee on Director Nominations (DINO). This committee was established in 2023, but its operations caused friction with Hobbs’ office, leading to the withdrawal of her nominees after a protracted dispute.

Martín Quezada, a former state senator and nominee for the Registrar of Contractors, experienced a contentious hearing last year, resulting in his eventual rejection. He expressed disappointment at Hoffman’s return as committee chair. “It’s pretty typical of the Republican agenda,” Quezada remarked, reflecting the ongoing partisan divide.

Republican consultant Barrett Marson offered a mixed perspective, suggesting the nomination process might be less turbulent now that three of Hobbs’ appointees have been replaced. However, he also cautioned that some nominees might still face scrutiny regarding recent controversies, including financial mismanagement within the Housing Department.

Quezada expects the resubmitted nominees to encounter similar hostilities as he did. During his 2023 hearing, committee members questioned his political beliefs rather than his qualifications for a role in a neutral agency. “I believe the nominees are qualified, but the scrutiny they face lacks legitimacy,” Quezada stated.

The complete DINO committee roster remains undisclosed, although Senate Democrats indicated that Senators Flavio Bravo and Analise Ortiz will join the group. Ortiz expressed disappointment with the handling of the nomination process last year and emphasized the need for fairness moving forward. “Hoffman’s obstruction reflects a lack of interest in serving the people of Arizona,” she declared.

In 2023, partisan tensions escalated as Republican senators posed politically charged questions that strayed from nominees’ qualifications. Following allegations of plagiarism against Joan Serviss, Hobbs withdrew nominations altogether, appointing her director of operations to fill agency roles temporarily.

An agreement reached between Hobbs and Senate Republicans ended a subsequent lawsuit over these appointments. As part of the deal, Hobbs withdrew three nominations while resubmitting sixteen, some of whom previously faced skepticism from DINO. Notably, Serviss and Elizabeth Thorson have been resubmitted following their previous rejections.

Hoffman criticized Hobbs’ actions as an “illegal ploy,” urging her to propose qualified, nonpartisan nominees instead of what he described as “unqualified radicals.” Despite inquiries, he did not specify which nominees might struggle under the renewed process.

Hobbs’ Communications Director indicated that only the three withdrawn nominees were problematic for Senate Republicans, directing questions about other candidates back to the Senate. Hobbs acknowledged that a new Senate will convene in January 2025, which could potentially shift the power dynamics.

Political analysts suggest that Democrats share some responsibility for the situation, with Marson attributing part of the issue to their electoral outcomes. Quezada urged Hobbs to explore options should the nomination process revert to the previous year’s turmoil, emphasizing the importance of stable agency leadership. “This process could ultimately harm Arizona if left to repeat the past,” he warned.