'Disgrace and Travesty to Arizona': Cody Reim Condemns Katie Hobbs for not Declaring Emergency After Overgaard Tornado

State Representative Cody Reim (R-3) declared Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) a "disgrace and travesty to Arizona" on social media after she declined to declare a state of emergency after the EF1 tornado that struck Overgaard.

The Context

The Mountain Daily Star and Arizona's Family reported that an EF1 tornado tore through Heber-Overgaard last week, with winds reaching 110 mph.

Despite the damage, Gov. Hobbs did not declare a state of emergency, though aid workers arrived to help with recovery efforts, as the Mountain Star reported.

Reim's Response

State Rep. Reim floated the possibility that Gov. Hobbs declined to declare the emergency because Heber-Overgaard votes Republican, writing, "Overgaard is an area that overwhelmingly consists of Republicans. We need a Governor who will do the right thing regardless of party or who is affected. "

"Katie Hobbs doesn't care about Arizona and she doesn't care about you. Vote Biggs/Kerr," State Rep. Reim continued, adding, "Hobbs should immediately declare a state of emergency for the affected area but she's too busy trying to round up votes in Pima county for her campaign. She's a disgrace and a travesty to Arizona."

Previous Attacks

Reim previously attacked Hobbs in August for her plan to steward the Salt River wild horse herd, arguing it was a watered-down version of Senate Bill 1199, which Reim backed in the Arizona House.

"The people who fought for these horses earned this victory," the Fountain Hills representative said through a press release. "They made the calls, demanded meetings and kept the pressure on Governor Hobbs until doing nothing carried a political cost. Her administration had the authority to stop these removals months ago. She waited until August to do what we were asking her to do in April and May."

Reim further suggested that "Governor Hobbs is giving herself political cover. If advocates later challenge the methodology or the study is used to justify more removals, she can blame the universities. We wanted the standards, qualifications and accountability established in law before the study began."