John Giles (American politician)

John Giles
Giles in 2024
Mayor of Mesa
In office
September 18, 2014 – January 7, 2025
Preceded byAlex Finter (acting)
Succeeded byMark Freeman
Personal details
Born1960 (age 65–66)
Mesa, Arizona, U.S.
PartyRepublican (before 2026)
Independent (2026–present)[1]
Children5
EducationBrigham Young University (BA)
Arizona State University, Tempe (JD)

John C. Giles (born 1960) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 40th mayor of Mesa, Arizona from 2014 to 2025.[2] A former member of the Republican Party, Giles previously served as a member of the Mesa City Council from 1996 to 2000.

Giles was first elected mayor of Mesa in a 2014 special election. He was re-elected in 2016 and 2020.[3] He has drawn national attention for his opposition to Donald Trump, endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. In 2022, he endorsed Democratic candidates for governor and U.S. Senate. He was a speaker at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.[4] In August 2026, he was selected by Democratic governor Katie Hobbs as her running mate in the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial election.[5]

Early life and career

Giles was born in Mesa, Arizona, in 1960.[6] He graduated from Westwood High School in 1978. A Mormon,[7] he served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Korea from 1979 to 1981. He attended Brigham Young University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1984. Giles received his JD from Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law in 1987.

Giles works as a government affairs lawyer with the firm Udall Shumway[8] and previously owned Giles & Dickson, P.C.[9] Giles was the president of the East Valley Bar Association from 1992 until 1993.[10] Giles is an adjunct professor at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.[11] In 2025, Giles started working as a Mayoral Ambassador for Bloomberg Philanthropies.[12] He was appointed by Governor Katie Hobbs to serve on the Arizona Department of Transportation Board[12] and the Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board, widely referred to as First Things First.[13]

Political career

Giles was elected to the Mesa City Council in 1996, serving until 2000, including a term as vice mayor from 1998 until 2000.[14]

Following Mayor Scott Smith's resignation in 2014, Giles was elected mayor in a special election, for a term lasting until 2017.[15] He was sworn in on September 18, 2014.[16][17]

In 2016, Giles was reelected to a full four-year term, which lasted until 2021.[18] He was again reelected in 2020 and began his second full term in January 2021.[19] He was succeeded by Mark Freeman in 2025.[3]

In 2021, Giles led the adoption of a city nondiscrimination ordinance.[20]

Giles served as co-chair of the US Conference of Mayor's Veterans Homelessness Task Force. Under his leadership, the city aimed to house more homeless veterans.[21] During Giles’ 2020 term, he focused on the Off the Streets Program. As Chair of the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG),[22] Giles started the program in 2021 to help combat homelessness, not just for veterans, but for all of the residents within Mesa. In 2023, Mesa City Council approved the purchase of a hotel to serve as an emergency shelter facility for the Off the Streets program.[23]

In 2021, Giles launched the Mesa College Promise, a public/private partnership designed to provide a free community college education to qualified students.[24] He supported expansion of the Mesa College Promise to adult learners in 2024.[25]

Giles endorsed Democrat Mark Kelly over Republican Blake Masters in the 2022 U.S. Senate election.[26] The Arizona Republican Party censured Giles over his endorsement of Kelly.[27] He endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 United States presidential election over Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.[28] He and former Arizona representative Robin Shaw co-chaired the state chapter of Republicans for Harris.[29] He spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention on August 20.[4]

In 2022, Giles requested federal funds in order to improve transportation, and the city received a $16 million grant through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. Giles' goal is a 40 percent increase in charging stations for electric vehicles along with expansion of the Tempe street car into Mesa.[30] The city has adopted a climate action plan with a goal of using 100 percent renewable energy and being carbon neutral by 2050.[31] Giles supported the renewal of Prop 400,[32] a half a cent transportation tax in Maricopa County. The Maricopa Association of Government says that 53 percent, or about 14 billion, of the street car plan would come from Prop 400 extension.[33]

In 2023, Giles was appointed by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to the Electric Vehicle Working Group, a federal committee charged with guiding the widespread adoption of electric vehicles across the country.[34]

Giles changed his party registration from Republican to independent in May 2026.[35] In August 2026, The New York Times reported that Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, was planning to select Giles as her running mate in the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial election. [36] On August 11, Hobbs formally announced Giles as her running mate.[5]

Personal life

Giles and his wife, Dawn have five children and ten grandchildren[12].[2] Giles is a marathoner and triathlete who has completed two full Ironman competitions, twenty marathons, including four Boston Marathons.[37]

Giles is the host of It's Always Cool in Mesa, a podcast that shares the stories behind some of Mesa, Arizona's most popular outdoor adventures, culinary treasures, and unique history.[38] In 2025, Giles started a YouTube series called "Lunch With the Mayor" where he visits mayors throughout Arizona to talk about their city at popular restaurants.[39]

Electoral history

Giles' most recent electoral victory took place in the 2020 non partisan primary, receiving just over 66% of the votes over opponent Verl Farnsworth.[40] Giles received more than $250,000 in campaign donations. Farnsworth questioned the legality of the donations, although Giles said the donations were in accordance with election law.[41][42] City finance and taxes were issues in the mayoral campaign.[41]

Giles received over 50% of the vote in the primary, meaning no run-off election was required.[43]

2014 special election

Giles was first elected mayor in 2014.[44] Giles ran on the platform of keeping the trajectory for the city set by his predecessor. Opponent Danny Ray argued the current direction was the wrong direction.[45] Giles received over 72% of the votes.[46][44]

2016 election

Giles was reelected to his mayoral post in 2016, winning 99% of the vote as an uncontested candidate.[47]

2024 election

The Mesa mayoral post has a two term limit. Giles reached this limit and was unable to run again in 2024.[48] He was succeeded by city councilman Mark Freeman.

2020 Mesa mayoral election[49]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan John Giles (incumbent) 60,473 66.25
Nonpartisan Verl Farnsworth 30,452 33.36
Write-in Write-ins 357 0.39
Total votes 91,282 100.00
Mesa mayoral election, 2016[50]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan John Giles (incumbent) 53,273 99.01%
Write-in Write-ins 353 0.99%
Total votes 53,808 100.0%
Mesa Mayoral Special Election, 2014[51]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan John Giles 33,177 72.7%
Nonpartisan Danny Ray 12,483 27.3%
Total votes 45,660 100.0%
Mesa City Council election, 1996[52]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan John Giles 17,426 23.2%
Nonpartisan T. Farrell Jensen 15,949 21.2%
Nonpartisan Dennis Kavanaugh 13,481 17.9%
Nonpartisan Lillian Wilkinson 10,407 13.8%
Nonpartisan Dana B. Harper 10,053 13.4%
Nonpartisan David Molina 7,831 10.4%
Total votes 75,147 100.0%
Mesa City Council at-large primary, 1996[53]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan John Giles 14,392 15.8%
Nonpartisan T. Farrell Jensen 11,861 13.1%
Nonpartisan Lillian Wilkinson 10,885 12.0%
Nonpartisan David Molina 10,070 11.1%
Nonpartisan Dennis Kavanaugh 9,848 10.8%
Nonpartisan Dana B. Harper 9,635 10.6%
Nonpartisan Michael D. Whiting 9,196 10.1%
Nonpartisan Manuel Cortez 5,873 6.5%
Nonpartisan David A. Wier 5,403 6.0%
Nonpartisan John Robie 6,639 4.0%
Total votes 90,802 100.0%

See also

References

  1. ↑ Iversen, David (August 5, 2026). "John Giles dropped Republican party registration before Katie Hobbs pick".
  2. 1 2 "Mayor John Giles | City of Mesa". www.mesaaz.gov. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Dominguez, Maritza. "Freeman wins Mesa mayoral race, Adams takes District 1 council seat". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Republican Mayor John Giles feels more at "home" with the Democratic party". NBC News. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Vakil, Caroline (August 11, 2026). "Katie Hobbs taps former Republican mayor as running mate". The Hill. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
  6. ↑ Tomco, Brigham (January 5, 2023). "Is Mesa's Latter-day Saint mayor leaving the Republican Party — or leading it?". Deseret News.
  7. ↑ Browning, Kellen (August 22, 2024). "A Latter-day Saint Republican mayor spoke at the Democratic National Convention. Here's what he said". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  8. ↑ "John C. Giles". Udall Shumway - Law Firm Phoenix AZ. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Mayor John Giles". City of Mesa. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  10. ↑ "John C. Giles, Attorney". Giles & Dickson. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Part-time faculty | ASU | Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law". law.asu.edu.
  12. 1 2 3 "John Giles | Arizona State Transportation Board". aztransportationboard.gov. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Members". First Things First. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Mayor John Giles". City of Mesa, Arizona. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  15. ↑ Brodie, Mark (September 19, 2014). "John Giles Elected Mayor Of Mesa". KJZZ. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  16. ↑ Godfrey, Trevor (September 20, 2014). "Mesa mayor Giles officially sworn into office". East Valley Tribune. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  17. ↑ Polletta, Maria; Leavitt, Parker (September 19, 2014). "John Giles sworn in as Mesa's 40th mayor". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Mayor John Giles". NDC Academy. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  19. ↑ Steinbach, Alison. "Mesa Mayor John Giles leads in reelection bid, while Julie Spilsbury could unseat Councilmember Jeremy Whittaker". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  20. ↑ Scanlon, Tom (March 2, 2021). "Mesa Council passes non-discrimination ordinance". East Valley Tribune.
  21. ↑ Guzman, Joseph. "Mesa mayor tells conference there are no homeless vets in city". The Arizona Republic.
  22. ↑ Boehm, Jessica. "New shelters, affordable housing: Metro Phoenix launches regional plan to end homelessness". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Mesa City Council approves proposal to buy hotel to use as temporary shelter for people who are homeless". 12news.com. November 6, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Mesa College Promise Program Expands to Eligible Adult Learners". mesanow.org. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  25. ↑ Shumaker, Scott (March 12, 2024). "City, MCC expand college scholarships". The Mesa Tribune. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Multiple GOP mayors, business owners backing Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly". KTAR.com. July 17, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  27. ↑ Basnet, Neetish (July 26, 2022). "GOP censures Mesa lawmaker, Mayor Giles". The Mesa Tribune. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  28. ↑ Giles, John. "Why, as a Republican mayor, I support Kamala Harris over Trump". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Republicans For Harris: Mesa mayor, former Arizona lawmaker co-chairing local chapter". FOX 10 Phoenix. August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  30. ↑ Dominguez, Maritza. "Who is John Giles? What to know about Republican mayor in Arizona who endorsed Kamala Harris". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  31. ↑ Shumaker, Scott (January 7, 2024). "Plenty of issues to watch in Mesa in 2024". The Mesa Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  32. ↑ "Newsroom | Prop 400 Success Stories: Building for the Future in Gilbert". azmag.gov. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  33. ↑ Shumaker, Scott (June 20, 2023). "Transit tax fight could cost Mesa millions". The Mesa Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  34. ↑ "Mesa Mayor John Giles Appointed to National Electric Vehicle Working Group". www.mesanow.org.
  35. ↑ Iversen, David (August 5, 2026). "John Giles dropped Republican party registration before Katie Hobbs pick". KTAR.com. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
  36. ↑ Govindarao, Sejal; Browning, Kellen; Thebault, Reis (August 5, 2026). "A Democratic Governor Is Set to Pick a Former Republican Running Mate" – via NYTimes.com.
  37. ↑ "Mayor John Giles | City of Mesa". www.mesaaz.gov. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  38. ↑ "It's Always Cool in Mesa, A podcast hosted by Mayor John Giles".
  39. ↑ "Lunch with the mayor! - Becky Daggett for Mayor". November 3, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  40. ↑ "John Giles". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  41. 1 2 Olafson, Ole (July 14, 2020). "Mesa mayoral race pits incumbent John Giles against Verl Farnsworth". Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  42. ↑ Steinbach, Alison. "John Giles raises record $250K for Mesa's mayoral race. How much competition will he face?". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  43. ↑ "Mayoral election in Mesa, Arizona (2020)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  44. 1 2 "Mesa, Arizona municipal elections, 2014". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  45. ↑ Polletta, Maria. "Mesa voters elect John Giles as mayor". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  46. ↑ "Election Results". October 22, 2014. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  47. ↑ Coppola, Chris; Polletta, Maria. "Election brings new leaders to Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert councils". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  48. ↑ "Mesa's mayor gives last State of the City before term limits force him out". KJZZ. February 15, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  49. ↑ "Mayoral election in Mesa, Arizona (2020)". Ballotpedia.
  50. ↑ "MRC 20160830 E August 30, 2016 Summary Report MARICOPA COUNTYFINAL OFFICIAL RESULTS" (PDF). Maricopa County Recorder. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  51. ↑ "Mesa, AZ Mayor - Special Election 2014". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  52. ↑ "Mesa, AZ City Council At Large 1996". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  53. ↑ "Mesa, AZ City Council At Large Primary 1996". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
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