Andy Biggs Secures Republican Nomination for Arizona Governor

U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs defeated fellow congressman David Schweikert in Arizona's Republican primary for governor on Tuesday, becoming the party's nominee to face incumbent Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs in the November election. Biggs, a former chair of the House Freedom Caucus and a Trump-endorsed candidate, won by a wide margin despite travel delays after a Republican Governors Association meeting in Colorado.

Schweikert, who campaigned on concerns that Biggs would continue a trend of Republican policies he described as a decade of backsliding, struggled to raise funds and did not return to Arizona for Election Day, remaining in Washington for a congressional funding vote.

Biggs, who supported efforts to challenge the certification of the 2020 election results, said he aims to unite Republicans ahead of the general election. A campaign volunteer, Ray Roberts, a 33-year-old processing engineer, said the candidate reflects the conservative values of many Arizona voters.

Governor Hobbs responded that voters will see Biggs as a significant problem for the state. The race is expected to be close, mirroring the narrow margin by which Hobbs previously defeated Republican Kari Lake.

Other notable primary outcomes included Republican Jay Feely winning the 1st Congressional District nomination, while Democrat Amish Shah lost the district's Democratic primary to former Republican TV anchor Marlene Galán-Woods, who received backing from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. In the state-wide races, State Rep. Alexander Kolodin secured the Republican nomination for Secretary of State, and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb won the GOP primary for the congressional seat vacated by Biggs, despite facing allegations of misconduct that were cleared by the county attorney.