Two governors' races see running mate announcements in Michigan and Arizona

Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs selected John Giles, a former Republican Mesa mayor who has since identified as independent, as her running mate ahead of her 2026 reelection campaign. Giles previously supported Kamala Harris for president but stated in 2024 he was not ready to leave the Republican Party. Hobbs faces a competitive reelection race against Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, former chair of the House Freedom Caucus. Multiple outlets reported the Giles selection between Aug. 6 and Aug. 11, 2026, with some describing it as confirmed and others as reported. Separately, Republican U.S. House member John James, who won the Michigan gubernatorial primary on Aug. 4 by defeating Perry Johnson, was reported by Detroit News to have chosen Jay DeBoyer as his lieutenant governor running mate, citing DeBoyer's business and local government experience. James is set to face Democratic nominee Jocelyn Benson in November, as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited and not seeking reelection. The exact date and manner of the Hobbs-Giles announcement remains slightly inconsistent across sources, with some framing it as an official selection and others as a report yet to be fully confirmed. The James-DeBoyer selection is corroborated by only one source in this set, so it should be treated as less firmly established pending additional confirmation. Both races remain in the campaign phase ahead of the November general election, with no further official statements from either campaign included in current reporting.