Biggs' easy primary win sets up general election matchup with Hobbs
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Andy Biggs will face Gov. Katie Hobbs in the general election after a resounding GOP primary victory. Photo: Olivier Touron / AFP via Getty Images
U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs cruised to an easy victory in the Republican primary for governor, setting up a showdown with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Why it matters: Hobbs is likely the most vulnerable Democratic governor seeking re-election in the U.S. this year.
The big picture: Arizona has for generations been reliably Republican, but the state has become more competitive in recent years and Republicans have lost winnable races after nominating right-wing, MAGA candidates for major offices.
State of play: Hobbs and her allies will seek to paint Biggs as an extremist.
- He's long been on the GOP's right wing and led the congressional House Freedom Caucus for several years.
- Biggs is endorsed by President Trump, to whom he's been a staunch supporter in Congress, and is heavily backed by the MAGA-aligned conservative group Turning Point Action.
- Some Republicans are concerned that he could cost the party a winnable race, much as right-wing firebrand Kari Lake did when Hobbs won the governor's office four years ago.
Yes, but: Biggs has more recently portrayed himself as a pragmatic conservative who knows how to reach across the aisle, playing up his work with Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries and Kyrsten Sinema, who later became an independent.
- He often used a more practical approach to politics during his four years as Arizona Senate president.
- Biggs lacks Lake's combativeness and abrasive posture, and has sought to build bridges with groups that she antagonized, like supporters of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain.
- And despite big Democratic wins in recent years — the party controls the governor's, secretary of state's and attorney general's offices, and both U.S. Senate seats — Arizona is still a predominantly Republican state where the GOP has a substantial voter registration advantage.
What they're saying: "Tonight's results show that Arizonans overwhelmingly believe in our vision and I'm grateful to have earned their support," Biggs said in a press statement after his overwhelming victory.
- "I want to make sure every Arizonan knows this: no matter what your political party is or your background, you deserve a better leader than Katie Hobbs."
The other side: Hobbs' campaign spokesperson said in a statement that "Biggs' extreme record speaks for itself."
- "After years of pushing extreme policies that made life worse for Arizonans in Congress, Andy Biggs is running to bring the dysfunction of DC to the Copper State," Meghan Meehan-Draper, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, said in a statement.
Zoom in: Biggs defeated U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, a fiscal policy wonk elected in the 2010 Tea Party wave who spent his early years in the House battling Republican leadership.
- Schweikert ran as a traditional, establishment alternative to Biggs, arguing that he was better suited to oust Hobbs in the general election.
- The primary may mark the end of his political career, which began when he was elected to the Arizona House in 1990. Schweikert's currently in his eighth term representing the Scottsdale and northeast Phoenix area.
Flashback: An incumbent Arizona governor hasn't lost re-election since 1966.
What we're watching: For the first time in Arizona history, nominees will choose running mates who will serve as their lieutenant governor if elected.
- The nominees have until early September to choose their running mates.