Quick Facts
Biography
Kathy Hoffman (born 1985/1986) is an American Democratic politician who has served as the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2019.
Education and career
Hoffman earned a bachelor's degree in Japanese Studies at the University of Oregon in 2009 and a master's degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Arizona in 2013. She taught pre-school before beginning her career as a speech-language pathologist. Before running for office, Hoffman worked as a speech-language pathologist at Vail Unified School District and Peoria Unified School District.
Hoffman is fluent in both Japanese and Spanish.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
In 2018, Hoffman defeated former California Republican Congressman Frank Riggs in the race for Superintendent of Public Instruction, after Hoffman defeated former state senator David Schapira in the Democratic primary in a surprise upset. She said she was inspired to run after watching the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary Education. Running as a clean elections candidate, Hoffman managed to out-raise her opponent 2-to-1.
Elections
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kathy Hoffman | 254,566 | 52.27 | |
| Democratic | David Schapira | 232,419 | 47.73 | |
| Total votes | 484,748 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kathy Hoffman | 1,185,457 | 51.56 | |
| Republican | Frank Riggs | 1,113,781 | 48.44 | |
| Total votes | 2,299,238 | 100.0 | ||
