After blocking a slate of legislation aimed at curtailing China’s influence in Arizona, the state’s governor appears to have been rewarded by a prominent member of the Chinese Communist Party.
On May 2, Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) vetoed legislation that would have banned healthcare and research institutions from using genetic sequencing equipment or software manufactured by entities the Pentagon has designated as “Chinese military companies.” A few weeks later, on June 2, she vetoed another piece of legislation that would have banned the Chinese government from owning land in her state. A few more weeks passed, and campaign finance records show that a CCP businessman cut a $10,000 check to the Democratic Governors Association — one of the primary political committees set to provide her with financial support as she stands for reelection in 2026.
Pin Ni, an executive identified in corporate documents as a member of the CCP, was the businessman in question. Pin sits on the board of directors for the Wanxiang Group, one of the world’s largest automotive components manufacturers, and operates domestically as the president of the conglomerate’s American office. During his time at Wanxiang, Pin has been recognized as an “outstanding Communist Party Member” 15 times.
“State Armor respectfully calls upon Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs to partner with the Arizona legislature to oppose America’s adversaries instead of opposing the legislature’s attempts to protect Arizona from Communist China,” Michael Lucci, founder of the national security group State Armor, told the Washington Examiner. “In the last two years, Governor Hobbs has vetoed more legislation to protect her state from the CCP than any other governor in the country, including common-sense legislation to protect Arizona land and Arizonan genetic information from China’s military. So it is disappointing but not shocking to see Gov. Hobbs takes political money from CCP-tied billionaires.”
Hobbs has a long history of stonewalling initiatives aimed at defending Arizona against Chinese threats. She has vetoed numerous anti-China national security bills, including one that would have barred the use of Chinese-manufactured telecommunications equipment and another that would have barred business or government agencies from entering into infrastructure contracts with Chinese-owned entities. Following backlash from her veto of the land bill, Hobbs proposed and signed an alternative bill fulfilling a similar function.
The governor is also a proponent of policies beneficial to the electric vehicle industry, in which Wanxiang is a major player.
Press reports have identified former Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), both of whom are facing competitive gubernatorial elections in their respective states this year, as receiving large donations from Pin. Experts have questioned whether these donations are legal, as Pin’s CCP membership would likely preclude him from holding U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, which are requirements to make campaign contributions.
National Legal and Policy Center counsel Paul Kamenar told the Washington Examiner that his organization planned to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission following its reporting on Sherrill. His organization is drafting a similar complaint to address Pin’s donations to Spanberger.
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“No amount of political contributions is worth selling out the Great State of Arizona to the CCP,” Lucci continued. “Governor Hobbs should send this CCP-tied money back to its source and instead enact a range of executive orders and legislative solutions to protect her state from America’s enemies.”
Hobbs’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
