Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) has won the Republican primary for Arizona governor, and the general election battle against Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) is already underway.
With 68 percent of votes counted, Trump-endorsed Biggs dominated the field Tuesday, pulling in 302,924 votes and 71.7 percent of the vote.
Fellow House member David Schweikert finished a distant second with 15.5 percent, followed by Scott Neely at 7.5 percent and Ken Miceli at 5.3 percent.
Biggs wasted no time pivoting to the general election, striking a unifying tone in his victory statement.
"No matter what your political party is or your background, you deserve a better leader than Katie Hobbs," he said. "I'm going to work day and night to earn your vote, finding the areas of agreement we have and making sure you know I'll be a Governor for you and your family and your community."
He also credited his grassroots supporters, saying the campaign had united the Republican Party "as much as any nominee in recent memory."
Quick Response
Now, Hobbs was equally quick to respond, and she came out swinging. "Andy Biggs has spent years undermining confidence in our elections," she said.
"He still denies the outcome of the 2020 election and refused to certify Arizona's electors. And he still won't admit who won the 2022 governor's race. I'll save him the trouble — I did."
The contrast between the two candidates is sharp, with Biggs being a former chair of the House Freedom Caucus and a close President Donald Trump ally who has tried during the campaign to soften his image by emphasizing bipartisan relationships in Congress.
Additionally, Hobbs has amassed a significant fundraising advantage and has already begun running ads framing Biggs as too extreme for Arizona.
However, Republicans feel confident after Trump carried the state by five points in 2024, but Arizona has also elected Democrats to both Senate seats, the attorney general, and the secretary of state's office in recent years, making the outcome far from certain.
With months of campaigning ahead, both candidates are clearly ready for a fight. The question is which version of Arizona shows up in November.
