MESA — The nominee for lieutenant governor running with Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs says he sees no conflict between being “pro-life” and voting for a state constitutional amendment that lets women terminate a pregnancy up until fetal viability.

“I voted for it,” said John Giles, the former Republican mayor of Mesa who is now a political independent. “It accurately reflects my personal point of view on the topic.”

Giles made his comments during a news conference with Hobbs on Saturday. The event followed a campaign rally at Giles’ Mesa law office and was the first time that political reporters had a chance to extensively question the new running mate about his beliefs on a range of statewide issues.

Hobbs, by virtue of her time as a Democratic legislator, secretary of state and governor for the last four years, has an extensive public record.

Republican nominee Andy Biggs has 14 years of legislative votes in addition to actions he has taken since being elected to Congress in 2016. His running mate, Sine Kerr, was appointed to the Legislature in 2018 to fill a vacant Senate seat and was re-elected three times before deciding not to seek reelection in 2024.

Giles, by contrast, has a political career that is confined to Mesa, first as a council member and then as mayor.

Restroom policy

Giles dismissed questions about his position on transgender bathroom policies, calling the issue a “red herring.”

He pointed out that in 2021, as mayor, he helped push through a wide-ranging ordinance that prohibits discrimination in public accommodations, employment and housing — not just on the basis of race, color or ethnicity but also sexual orientation, gender and gender identity.”

That measure drew complaints from some residents who argued it would put women and children at risk. Giles responded at the time that the ordinance would not make Mesa restrooms fearful places where men posing as women will lurk.

“Privacy is a reasonable concern,” he said. “As a father of four daughters and grandfather, I would never put them in danger.”

And now?

“The Mesa ordinance has been in place for several years now,” he said. “There’s never been a situation like that that has been brought forward.”

Abortion

In a 2024 interview with CNN during the Democratic National Convention, Giles said, “I continue to be pro-life.” He added that that was the reason he was “more comfortable” with the Republican Party than the Democratic Party.

Yet Giles acknowledged that, just four months later, he voted for Proposition 139, which enshrined in the Arizona Constitution the “fundamental right to abortion.”

It also barred any state restrictions on that right prior to fetal viability — generally considered between 22 and 24 weeks — absent “a compelling state interest that is achieved by the least restrictive means.”

Giles said his views on the issue were affected by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion. 

In Arizona, an 1864 law outlawing abortion had never been repealed. And a judge ruled — and the Arizona Supreme Court affirmed — that with Roe overturned, that 1864 law could once again be enforced.

Giles said that, unlike Biggs and Kerr, who have a long record of opposition to legalized abortion, “I did not support that.”

“If I’m ever in a position to defend [Prop.] 139 and the new state Constitution protections for that, I will do so,” Giles said.

ESAs

Giles was also asked about those, including Hobbs, who have pushed to eliminate the system approved by Republican lawmakers in 2022 that allows any student to get an Empowerment Scholarship Account.

He responded by saying he supports “school choice.”

“School choice, that toothpaste is out of the tube,” said Giles. “We’re going to continue to support school choice.”

But he added that he supports Proposition 212, which would place new restrictions on how ESA money is spent and would limit benefits to families with $150,000 or less in annual income.

He said he remains a “strong advocate” for public education, noting his father was a school principal in Mesa for 30 years, his mother was a teacher, and his children are school teachers and principals.

“I think that for there to be true meaningful school choice the public option has to be a strong one,” Giles said. “Public education has to have the resources that it needs to compete.”

Party ties

Giles, born in 1960, was unapologetic about having been a Republican.

“I was drawn to the Republican Party because of my admiration for people like John McCain, because of a belief in limited government and free enterprise,” he said. “That’s never changed.”

Giles said he remained registered with the GOP even as he believes the party changed, saying he “felt like he needed to be there to advocate for people like myself that were being shoved out of the party.”

“A few months ago, I realized that’s a lost cause right now,” Giles said.

“So ‘independent’ is a good place for me to be,” he said. “It accurately describes where I’m at politically.”