# Opinion: Shawn Fleetwood Says Republicans Cannot Afford to Ignore State Races, Starting With Arizona

The Federalist writer argues that governors, secretaries of state and attorneys general shape daily life more than Congress does. He uses Arizona's Hobbs, Fontes and Mayes contests as the example.

- Section: [Opinion](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/opinion/)
- Published: 2026-10-22
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/opinion-fleetwood-republicans-cant-forget-state-races-arizona-midterms/

This is a summary of an opinion column. The views belong to Shawn Fleetwood, not to RightNewsRightNow.

Fleetwood's point is that the midterm coverage has fixated on which party will control Congress, while state elections go underreported. He argues state offices matter at least as much. In his words, they shape education, medical freedom, immigration enforcement, redistricting, tax policy and what he calls "trans" madness, "in ways that Washington, D.C. can't."

Arizona as the case. He says Trump won Arizona in 2024, yet meaningful conservative policy has been blocked by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. He says she has regularly vetoed bills on election integrity and vaccine mandates passed by the narrow Republican majorities in the legislature. She faces Republican Andy Biggs, a member of the U.S. House Freedom Caucus.

Election administration. Fleetwood says Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has faced lawsuits and court rulings over his conduct as elections chief. He notes that a state appellate court found Fontes violated Arizona law when drafting the 2023 election rulebook. Fontes is running against Republican Alex Kolodin of the Arizona Freedom Caucus.

The attorney general. He says Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes has used her office against political opponents, including what he calls a "never-ending lawfare scheme" against the state's 2020 Trump electors. She faces Republican state Sen. Warren Peterson.

Beyond Arizona. He says dozens of states have key offices on the ballot, listing Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and North Carolina. He closes by saying he does not mean to downplay congressional races. His appeal is for voters to focus on the governments closest to them.

Note for readers: the claims about vetoes, court rulings and Mayes's conduct are the author's characterizations. Our summary did not verify them independently.

## Source

Original reporting: [The Federalist (opinion by Shawn Fleetwood)](https://thefederalist.com/2026/10/21/republicans-cant-afford-to-forget-state-races-in-high-stakes-midterms)