Hobbs hires new communications director from out of state

Christian Slater, a veteran Democratic communications strategist, will be Gov. Katie Hobbs’ next communications director, the governor announced on Monday.

Slater’s last gig was as communications director for Florida Democrat Val Demings’ unsuccessful 2022 Senate bid, according to the emailed announcement. He’s also worked for the Michigan Democratic Party and for Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Slater will start April 17, replacing Murphy Hebert, whose last day in the role was March 31.

“I can’t wait to get to work with Governor Hobbs as she addresses the pressing issues facing Arizona by tackling the water crisis, improving education, lowering costs, growing jobs and building an economy that works for every Arizonan,” Slater was quoted as saying in the announcement, echoing some of the rhetoric Hobbs has used as governor to explain her priorities.

“I am confident that Mr. Slater’s wide breadth of expertise will be an asset to our growing team,” Hobbs said in the email.

The announcement comes ten days after the end of a chaotic week in the governor’s office, in which both the governor’s communications director, Hebert, and top spokeswoman, Josselyn Berry, departed from the Ninth Floor.

Hobbs’ Chief of Staff Allie Bones has insisted that the two high-level exits were unconnected. The governor asked Berry to resign following a controversial tweet that referenced violence; the reason for Hebert’s departure hasn’t been explained by her or the Ninth Floor.

Berry’s position is still open and may not be filled right away. Nicole Baker, a spokeswoman for the Department of Veterans Affairs, who is temporarily working for the governor’s office, said that Slater would be involved in making additional hires for the communications team.

Hebert was among a group of staffers who followed Hobbs from the Secretary of State’s Office to the governor’s office. That group also includes Bones and others like deputy communications director Sophia Solis and deputy chief of staff Will Gaona.

Last week, rumors began circulating that Hobbs would bring in an out-of-state hire to lead the communications team. Stan Barnes, a former Republican legislator and longtime capitol lobbyist, said the governor might have opted for an outsider because they wouldn’t have a history of bad blood with other state Capitol veterans – or simply because Arizona Democrats don’t have as many deeply experienced staffers to choose from.

“Democrats do not have the kind of back bench that Republicans do, because Republicans have generally been running the state for most of the last 40 years,” he said.

Stacey Pearson, a Democratic strategist, said last week that Hobbs has successfully pushed back against claims that she was a “weak” governor, but now needs to turn the attention more clearly to her policy priorities.

“What I think the next group of communication staffers are going to need to do is clearly define what she [Hobbs] wants,” Pearson said. “We certainly know by way of her vetoes what she doesn’t want, but what she does want is going to need to be in better focus.”

One question surrounding the moves is whether they’re an indication of dysfunction on the Ninth Floor or just normal hiccups from a new administration.

The departure of two key staffers, along with other personnel moves, has fueled critics who say Hobbs’ administration is off to a rocky start.

But Barnes said the shake-up wasn’t anything unusual from a new governor.

“I don’t think it’s any more than growing pains,” he said.