Water was finally on the ballot in Arizona

Ahead of the November elections, candidates in Arizona seized on one issue like never before: water. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs ran ads touting her record, saying: “Those before me didn’t protect our water, so I tackled the problem.” She handily won reelection . Attorney General Kris Mayes also made water a central issue, saying in a campaign ad : “If it’s Arizona’s water, I’ll always fight to protect it.” She similarly trounced her Republican challenger. The surge in water-focused campaigning reflects growing concerns among voters about the shrinking Colorado River and chronic overpumping of groundwater. “Water is now among the very top issues,” said Christopher Kuzdas, the Environmental Defense Fund’s water program director in Arizona. “People increasingly relate water to their ability to make choices about their future — the opportunity to stay in a place and build a life.” The subject has become top-of-mind for many as the desert state braces for more cuts to its allotment of Colorado River water. Arizona recently joined a lawsuit by Nevada against the Trump administration to challenge its plan for mandatory cutbacks, arguing it would harm the state’s economy. In California, in contrast, water was less prominent in most political campaigns. One exception was Republican gubernatorial contender Steve Hilton, who sought to woo voters with his calls for delivering more water to farms and cities. In the Central Valley, some of his campaign signs declared: “For Water & Jobs.” But ultimately Hilton’s calls seemed to gain little traction. Democrat Xavier Becerra won by a large margin . Some Arizona voters have become alarmed about how out-of-state companies and investors have set up large farms in the desert where they can pump unlimited groundwater from wells, with some exporting alfalfa overseas. Both Hobbs and Mayes have targeted a giant Saudi-owned hay farm in western Arizona, and campaigned on their efforts to rein in its heavy water use. The governor terminated the company’s leases of state land, a deal that had included below-market rates . And Mayes is suing the company , arguing it’s causing harm by pulling up excessive amounts of water on its remaining farmland. “It takes about 12 gallons of water to grow just one alfalfa plant. But there’s a Saudi-owned mega-farm in Arizona growing millions of them,” the attorney general said in one commercial . “That’s why I sued, just like I’ve sued other companies abusing Arizona’s water supply.” The company, Fondomonte, also owns land in California. It recently said it is “committed to progressive, efficient agricultural practices,” and has invested in “the latest technology to conserve water” on its farms. A survey earlier this year by the Center for the Future of Arizona confirmed that water has risen to the top of voters’ concerns, and that 69% do not believe the state will have enough over the long term to support people, agriculture and economic growth. The survey also found 78% want stronger protections for groundwater in rural areas — which Hobbs’ administration has begun to adopt. Over the last four years, state officials have established three new regulated areas to limit pumping by farms where groundwater levels are dropping. Hobbs has tailored her message to indicate she isn’t anti-farming but will prioritize solutions where large farms are taking too much groundwater. In one ad, farmer Ed Curry endorsed Hobbs as a leader who is helping to address his area’s water problem. In a post on the Environmental Defense Fund’s website, Kuzdas wrote that concerns about water have gone “from obscurity to the mainstream,” thanks in part to extensive journalism examining the subject. He also credited residents who have organized and spoken out to demand change in areas where wells have run dry . At the same time, the constant news coverage of the Colorado River’s low reservoirs over the last year has more people concerned about the state’s water future as climate change intensifies drought . By this summer, Kuzdas said he was seeing political ads on water almost every day. He said unlike issues such as the economy or education, water tends to be a nonpartisan issue, and that makes him hopeful the state’s leaders can take bigger, more creative steps toward solutions. “I do think that water has some traction and legs for a while as a top electoral issue,” he said, “because the challenges we face are so significant.” ©2026 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. More from this section Politics Why AP called the Mississippi Senate race for Scott Colom Updated 19 hrs ago Politics Thune and Schumer face questions about Senate leadership in aftermath of elections Updated Nov 9, 2026 Politics ICE reports record-high immigration arrests and deportations since Trump's return to White House Updated 2 hrs ago Politics Owlett re-elected as House Republican caucus secretary 2 hrs ago Inside Killeen Podcast