John Giles

John C. Giles (born 1960) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 40th mayor of Mesa, Arizona from 2014 to 2025. 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. 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.

Early life Giles was born in Mesa, Arizona, in 1960. He graduated from Westwood High School in 1978. A Mormon, 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.

Legal career Giles works as a government affairs lawyer with the firm Udall Shumway and previously owned Giles & Dickson, P.C. Giles was the president of the East Valley Bar Association from 1992 until 1993. Giles is an adjunct professor at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.

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.

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

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

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. During Giles’ 2020 term, he focused on the Off the Streets Program. As Chair of the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), 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.

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

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. The city has adopted a climate action plan with a goal of using 100 percent renewable energy and being carbon neutral by 2050. Giles supported the renewal of Prop 400, 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.

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.

In 2025, Giles started working as a Mayoral Ambassador for Bloomberg Philanthropies. He was appointed by Governor Katie Hobbs to serve on the Arizona Department of Transportation Board

National politics

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

2026 Arizona gubernatorial election

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

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. 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.

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. 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. City finance and taxes were issues in the mayoral campaign.

2014 special election Giles was first elected mayor in 2014. 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. Giles received over 72% of the votes.

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