Rep. Andy Biggs, one of Donald Trump's closest allies in Congress and a leading figure in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, won Arizona's Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday, setting up a high-stakes showdown with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Biggs easily defeated fellow Rep. David Schweikert, who had warned that Biggs' hard-line conservatism could drive away the independent voters Republicans need to win in battleground Arizona. Democrats now hold both U.S. Senate seats and the state's top three elected offices.
Backed by Trump's endorsement and Turning Point Action, Biggs celebrated his victory by urging Republicans to "turn Arizona red again." He rejected claims he is too extreme.
"I am a conservative — and a principled conservative — but I work with people that don't necessarily agree with me on every issue," Biggs said.
Democrats are expected to make Biggs' role in Trump's failed effort to block certification of the 2020 election a central issue in the general election.
Hobbs, who narrowly defeated Republican Kari Lake in 2022, quickly went on the attack.
"The more Arizonans learn about Biggs, the more they'll realize he's one big problem they can't afford," she said.
Elsewhere, former Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely, another Trump-backed candidate, won the Republican nomination in the battleground 1st Congressional District.
On the Democratic side, emergency physician Amish Shah held a narrow lead over party-backed Marlene Galán-Woods, a result that could deal another blow to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee after several establishment-backed candidates have lost primaries this year.
"I wasn't exactly my party's pick," Shah said. "I was willing to stand up to that establishment."
In another closely watched race, state Rep. Alexander Kolodin won the Republican nomination for secretary of state despite being sanctioned by the Arizona State Bar over his role in baseless lawsuits challenging the 2020 election. He will face Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes in November.
State Senate President Warren Petersen won the Republican nomination for attorney general and will challenge Democratic incumbent Kris Mayes, who won her last race by just 280 votes.
Trump-backed Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb also won the Republican nomination for the congressional seat Biggs is vacating. Lamb has denied allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power, calling them "slander and lies," and was not charged with a crime.
The results set up another fiercely contested election in one of the nation's most closely watched swing states, where control of key statewide offices and Congress will again be on the line.
