Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee (R) announced Wednesday that she is temporarily serving as acting governor of the Grand Canyon State.
“I have been notified that I will be serving as Acting Governor beginning later this evening until mid-morning tomorrow,” Yee said in a statement, adding that she is “pleased to step into this role.”
The announcement raised questions because of the mysterious circumstances surrounding Yee’s temporary ascension.
It’s not usual for top state officials to be tapped as “acting governor” when a governor leaves the state or is temporarily incapacitated, such as for medical procedures. But what is unusual about this instance is that Yee’s position as state treasurer is third in the Arizona line of succession after the Arizona secretary of state and state attorney general, according to the Arizona state constitution.
What is also unusual is that it’s not clear exactly why Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) stepped aside.
Typically, when governors temporarily transfer powers, they explain why it is necessary and to whom the powers are being transferred. Hobbs, in fact, did this just two months ago when she left Arizona to attend a national governors’ conference.
According to the Daily Independent, Hobbs left the state on Sunday. But it’s unclear why she left, and her office did not announce a temporary transfer of powers to Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D).
Moreover, the newspaper reported that Fontes was scheduled to leave Arizona on Wednesday and that Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) “is also gone.” That would explain why Yee became acting governor and will hold that position through Thursday because, according to the newspaper, Hobbs is slated to return on Thursday.
TheBlaze reached out to the Arizona Treasury Office and Gov. Hobbs’ office for clarification. Neither office responded by press time because Arizona is three hours behind EST. TheBlaze will update this story if we receive a response.
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