Arizona GOP lawmakers walk out on Governor Katie Hobbs during State of the State address

The effort was led by the members of the Arizona Freedom caucus who were joined by several other members of the Legislature.

Republican Senators Anthony Kern and Justine Wadsack stood and turned their backs on Hobbs during the speech.

Other conservative members walked out when Hobbs said in reference to abortion that she would veto any bill that "...delays the liberty or inherent right of any individual to decide what’s best for themselves or their families."

Republican Rep. Rachel Jones tweeted, "It took 5 seconds for Katie Hobbs to begin legislating from the 9th floor, so I will not listen to her rhetoric for even 5 seconds. There are too many questions left unanswered, litigation still moving through the courts, and many concerns about the border, not pronouns."

"This is why I immediately left the House Floor after the start of the State of the State," she added. "I promised to be the voice of the people, and I will never break that promise."

In a statement, the conservative caucus said, "Katie Hobbs utilized the time-honored State of the State Address to once again promote her radical, woke policy initiatives, rather than address the profoundly serious concerns that Arizonans have regarding the political and fiscal realities of daily life."

Rep. Alexander Kolodin tweeted that after he walked out he met with Holocaust survivor Hanna Zack Miley, who was invited to speak before Hobbs' address. Kolodin added that after the conversation he began working on "legislation of importance to the people of Arizona" with Representative Jacqueline Parker, vice chair of the Freedom Caucus.

twitter.com/KariLakeWarRoom/status/1612538374920994817?s=20&t=kfOA6rjL_QSPADf9soRwUQ

Hobbs’ election victory has been contested by state Republicans, including former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who on Monday repeated her intentions to remove Hobbs from office and stated on Twitter Monday that impeachment proceedings against Hobbs should begin once she signs an order mandating the use of pronouns in public classrooms.