The 2014 Arizona gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of Arizona, concurrently with elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Incumbent Republican Governor Jan Brewer was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a second full term in office. After a bitter six-candidate primary, Republicans nominated Arizona State Treasurer Doug Ducey; Democrat Fred DuVal, the former Chairman of the Arizona Board of Regents, won his party's nomination unopposed. Ducey won the election with 53% of the vote.
Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano resigned on January 21, 2009, to be sworn-in as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Since Arizona does not have a Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State Jan Brewer was first in the state's gubernatorial line of succession and was sworn in as Governor on the same day. She was elected to a full term in 2010, defeating Democrat Terry Goddard, the Arizona Attorney General, by 54% to 42%.
Brewer was term-limited in 2014, despite only serving one full term. This is because Arizona state law limits office holders to two consecutive terms regardless of whether they serve full or partial terms. In November 2012, Brewer declared she was looking into what she called "ambiguity" in Arizona's term-limit law to seek a third term. In February 2014, Brewer reiterated that she was considering running for re-election, but on March 12, 2014, she announced that she would not attempt to seek another term in office, which would have required what The Arizona Republic called a "long-shot court challenge".
The Republican primary campaign was widely characterised as being "bitter" and "nasty" and the $16.2 million spent by the six Republican candidates means that the 2014 election has already broken the record for most expensive gubernatorial race in state history, exceeding the 2002 election in which $9.2 million was spent during the primary and general election campaigns combined.
Ken Bennett, Secretary of State of Arizona
Doug Ducey, State Treasurer of Arizona
Christine Jones, former Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Go Daddy
Frank Riggs, former U.S. Representative from California and candidate for the U.S. Senate from California in 1998
Scott Smith, Mayor of Mesa
Andrew Thomas, disbarred former County attorney of Maricopa County and candidate for Arizona Attorney General in 2010
Hugh Hallman, former Mayor of Tempe (ran for State Treasurer)
Al Melvin, State Senator
John Molina, OB/GYN and former CEO of Phoenix Indian Medical Center
Joe Arpaio, Sheriff of Maricopa County (ran for re-election)
Jan Brewer, incumbent Governor
Brenda Burns, Corporation Commissioner
Wil Cardon, businessman and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012 (ran for Secretary of State)
Tom Horne, Attorney General of Arizona (ran for re-election)
Martha McSally, retired United States Air Force colonel and nominee for Arizona's 2nd congressional district in 2012 (ran for AZ-02)
Steve Pierce, State Senator (ran for re-election)
Steven Seagal, actor and reserve deputy sheriff
Fred DuVal, former Chairman of the Arizona Board of Regents
Ronald Cavanaugh, Libertarian candidate for Governor in 2010
Chad Campbell, Minority Leader of the Arizona House of Representatives
Richard Carmona, former Surgeon General and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2012
Neil Giuliano, former Mayor of Tempe
Terry Goddard, former Attorney General of Arizona, candidate for Governor in 1994 and nominee for Governor in 1990 and 2010 (running for Secretary of State)
Marco Lopez, former Chief of Staff for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and former Mayor of Nogales
Janet Napolitano, President of the University of California, former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and former Governor of Arizona
Felecia Rotellini, attorney and nominee for Arizona Attorney General in 2010 (running for Attorney General)
Greg Stanton, Mayor of Phoenix
Alice Novoa (Republican write-in candidate)
Brian Bailey (Independent write-in candidate), Arizona Army National Guardsman
Cary Dolego (Independent), write-in candidate for Governor in 2010
Barry Hess (Libertarian Party), perennial candidate
Joseph James "J." Johnson (Unaffiliated write-in candidate), food account manager and brother of Eddie Johnson
John Lewis Mealer (Americans Elect), candidate for the Americans Elect nomination for President in 2012
Diana-Elizabeth Ramseys Rasmussen Kennedy (Independent write-in candidate)
Curtis Woolsey (Unaffiliated write-in candidate)
