Gilbert, Arizona
Representative Andy Biggs, the frontrunner among Republican candidates for governor in Arizona, often shares a story with his supporters about collaborating with the late Senator John McCain on legislation that enabled American Indian tribes to issue alerts for missing children.
This narrative, while common in his speeches, stands out due to the contrasting treatment of McCain’s legacy by other recent Republican candidates in Arizona.
Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for governor in the 2022 elections, notably told McCain supporters to “get the hell out” during one of her campaign events. Similarly, Senate candidate Blake Masters stated that “it’s no longer (McCain’s) Republican Party in Arizona.” Both candidates faced defeat.
Biggs’ acknowledgment of McCain provides an initial insight into how he plans to tackle one of the main challenges he will encounter if he secures the Republican nomination for governor in the upcoming primary election. A staunch conservative with the endorsement of President Donald Trump and a prominent player in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Biggs shares traits with recent MAGA supporters who energized the Republican base but were ultimately rejected by many Arizona voters.
His ability to persuade voters that he represents a different brand of Trump Republican compared to Lake and Masters may be crucial in determining whether the GOP can unseat Governor Katie Hobbs, who is regarded as the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent in the country, or if it will continue to experience close losses in this key battleground state.
“I don’t see Arizona as a blue state or even a purple state. It is a red state,” Biggs stated to USdaily while greeting supporters at a get-out-the-vote rally. “We simply need to remind people of that.”
At the very least, the state leans more red than purple, with approximately 300,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats. Political experts from both parties believe the state trends conservative, and Trump’s 6.5-point victory there two years ago — his widest margin among the seven competitive states — provides Republicans with a reason to feel optimistic.
However, Lake also lost a Senate race in that same election, which exacerbated the frustration of Republicans witnessing their influence wane in a state they once controlled. This also highlighted the potential presence of numerous ticket-splitters available to target this November in a state where one in three voters are not affiliated with any political party.
Representative David Schweikert, challenging Biggs in the upcoming primary, contends that Republicans cannot risk endorsing another Trump-supported candidate. Schweikert has consistently won in one of Arizona’s most fiercely contested congressional districts and claims he would bring that successful track record into a general election likely influenced by the state’s expanding independent voter base.
During the only debate of the race last month, he addressed Republican viewers directly.
“Are you tired of losses?”
A long conservative record, for better or worse
On stage, Biggs does not exhibit the same fiery persona that Lake adopted during her campaigns. A former news anchor, Lake often made headlines with bold statements that surprised even her party members. In contrast, Biggs is less vocal compared to Masters, a venture capitalist whose campaign was marked by unapologetic and controversial views that hindered his Senate run.
As a lawyer and a 67-year-old grandfather, Biggs is a familiar face on Fox News, known for his calm demeanor and relatively restrained rhetoric.
“He’s not like Kari Lake, and that can be both an advantage and a disadvantage,” remarked Barrett Marson, a seasoned GOP strategist in Arizona. “The attention she received was often negative, but sometimes just being in the spotlight is half the battle. Biggs hardly commands local television coverage. He’s not particularly exciting.”
However, Marson added: “Unlike Kari, he is a genuine conservative with a lengthy record, which can sometimes work against him.”
As the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, Biggs has been a steadfast ally of Trump while also often challenging House leadership with his uncompromising stances. Prior to his congressional career, he spent 14 years in the state legislature, where he gained a reputation as one of the most conservative lawmakers in Arizona.
This record has gained him favor with voters in his strongly Republican district and aided him in obtaining support from Turning Point, the politically active organization aimed at youth that was founded by the late conservative figure Charlie Kirk. Prior to his death last September, Kirk personally endorsed Biggs, and his Phoenix-based organization has committed to leveraging its political influence to assist the congressman, including through a ballot-chasing initiative that contributed to Trump’s victory in 2024. Biggs has highlighted Kirk’s endorsement in his television spots.
Tyler Bowyer, who heads the political division of Turning Point, stated that their efforts would not be as impactful with a different candidate.
“A candidate must have grassroots support,” Bowyer remarked, “and that candidate is Andy.”
Biggs’ rivals in the primary have attempted to persuade Republican constituents that his past makes him unsuitable for election. One contender, Scott Neely, has circulated a list detailing instances where Biggs opposed “bills to safeguard sexual abuse victims,” including his vote against subpoenaing Epstein’s documents. In campaign mailings, Schweikert has criticized Biggs for associating with College Republicans United, a far-right youth organization, alongside the Proud Boys, a white nationalist militia group.
Nonetheless, Schweikert has not had the financial means to consistently broadcast that message on television, nor has he aggressively challenged Biggs on the campaign circuit. Other candidates have struggled to gain momentum.
In contrast, Biggs has concentrated on less controversial aspects of his legislative history, emphasizing his collaborations not only with McCain but also with former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat-turned-independent, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Rep. Ro Khanna, a progressive from California. He has directed his criticism toward Hobbs, accusing her of frequently employing vetoes and failing to engage with lawmakers on the issue of rising costs.
“I have shown that being a principled conservative does not preclude one from achieving results,” he told his followers on Friday.
Some attendees expressed dissatisfaction at the mention of Khanna. However, they are also eager for a candidate capable of achieving what Lake could not.
“God bless her, but we’re just ready for a change,” remarked Mickie Martinez, a substitute teacher from Gilbert. “It’s time.”
One individual notably opposes the recent trajectory of the Arizona Republican Party: Cindy McCain, the widow of the late senator. She and their son Jimmy are scheduled to host fundraising events for Hobbs in September.
An election denier in charge?
Hobbs has dedicated months to shaping her reelection strategy to appeal to independent voters. Since May, she has invested $7 million in campaign advertisements centered on a centrist message primarily focused on affordability and reintroducing herself to Arizonans.
With Biggs on the verge of clinching the nomination, she and her fellow Democrats are gearing up to remind Arizona voters of his record. At a campaign stop in Phoenix on Monday, Hobbs highlighted Biggs’ opposition to Medicaid expansion in Arizona, his previous comments regarding abortion, and his role in supporting Trump’s attempts to overturn the election results.
The House committee that probed the January 6, 2021, assault on the US Capitol found that Biggs encouraged Trump to refuse to concede and sought to rally Republican legislators in Arizona to back a pro-Trump slate of electors. Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified that Biggs was among a select group of Republicans who requested a pardon from Trump for their roles in obstructing the election certification. Biggs has consistently denied this allegation.
“If Andy Biggs becomes governor, Arizona will be the first swing state led by an election denier,” Hobbs asserted, having overseen the 2020 election as Arizona’s secretary of state. “And we need to act against that now, not in 2028.”
Biggs informed USdaily that he is pleased with the current election officials in Maricopa County, the largest county in the state and the target of various right-wing conspiracies regarding the election. When asked if debates about the 2020 election should occur this fall, Biggs replied to USdaily: “I’m looking ahead.”
“I believe we will have a successful election,” he added.
However, his supporters are not yet ready to move forward. A local official who spoke prior to Biggs at the rally notably claimed that Hobbs was “named” — not elected — governor in 2022. One participant, Ed Runge, stated that Republicans have lost recent statewide elections due to “the elephant in the room — election integrity.”
Runge expressed that he still had “his doubts” regarding whether Lake and Masters truly lost. Numerous audits and evaluations of the 2022 and 2024 elections have verified the results.
Additionally, Trump has not ceased discussing the 2020 election, as indicated by his recent national address and his calls for Congress to reform electoral systems and mandate proof of citizenship for voters.
The issue might gain more visibility if Biggs is accompanied on the ticket by state Representative Alexander Kolodin, a lawyer who has represented several prominent efforts to contest Arizona’s 2020 election outcomes and is running for secretary of state. He is up against Gina Swoboda, the former executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, who has Trump’s endorsement but has not focused on past elections.
It remains uncertain whether Hobbs will directly address Biggs regarding his past. Hobbs avoided debating Lake in 2022 before narrowly defeating her and did not commit on Monday to debating Biggs this fall.
“There will be ample opportunity to discuss that in the upcoming weeks,” Hobbs mentioned to USdaily.
Biggs’ campaign stated that he is open to a debate.
