Republican Congressman Andy Biggs, a known Trump ally and former House Freedom Caucus chair, won the Arizona GOP gubernatorial primary on July 22 with more than 70% of the vote [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Biggs defeated his closest rival, Congressman David Schweikert, who received about 15-17% of the vote, alongside other Republican candidates Scott Neely and Ken Miceli, who garnered smaller shares [1, 3, 4, 5].
Biggs has been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump, including backing Trump’s challenge to the 2020 election results. He also received Trump’s endorsement and support from Turning Point USA’s political wing during the primary [1, 4, 5]. Biggs said after his win, “Let’s make this the year that we turn Arizona red again,” adding, “I am a conservative and a principled conservative, but I work with people that don’t necessarily agree with me on every issue” [2].
He will face incumbent Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs in the November general election. Hobbs flipped the governor’s office from Republican to Democrat in 2022 and is seeking a second term. She ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, spending about $7 million on her campaign which focused on bipartisan achievements and Arizona’s economic progress [1, 2, 3, 6, 4, 5]. Hobbs said, “We are running the race we need to win, and it is going to take a lot to get there. We know it's going to be a close race” [6].
Arizona remains a key political battleground with shifting voter demographics. Democrats currently hold the governor’s office, attorney general, secretary of state, and both U.S. Senate seats in the state [1, 2, 3]. Nationally, Republicans face challenging midterm conditions, with Democrats aiming to regain control of the U.S. House and possibly the Senate [1].
The GOP primaries also featured competitive races for congressional seats vacated by Schweikert and Biggs. Trump-backed candidates Jay Feely and Mark Lamb won the Republican primaries for Arizona’s 1st and 5th congressional districts, receiving 49.4% and 58.7% of the vote respectively [3, 5].
Arizona’s November election will be watched closely, with Biggs and Hobbs preparing to compete for the governor’s mansion less than three months from now.
