Arizona Republican candidates battle to take on Gov. Hobbs

By Zachery Schmidt
The Center Square

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs awaits to see who her opponent will be in November, but polls say it’s likely to be U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs.

The Democratic governor is running unopposed in the Democratic primary and Biggs, R-Gilbert, and another Arizona Republican, U.S. Rep. David Schweikert of Scottsdale, are vying to be her opponent in the general election.

The Democratic and Republican primaries for the gubernatorial nominees occur on July 21.

In an interview with The Center Square, Biggs said he is optimistic about his campaign heading into the Republican primary.

A recent poll from the Noble Predictive Insights shows that Biggs has a 50-point advantage over Schweikert. Another poll released in June by The NextGen Performance showed Biggs up by 46 points over Schweikert. President Donald Trump has endorsed Biggs in the primary, and other Trump-endorsed candidates have prevailed in this year’s primaries.

Biggs said Arizona, under Hobbs, is one of the least affordable states and has seen minimal job and wage growth. If he is elected governor, Biggs said that would change.

He said he would focus on bringing down housing costs in Arizona. He added he will work to make the state more affordable so that Arizona’s economy can grow.

“The American dream consists of people being able to buy a home, get a job where they can afford to buy that home and support their family,” Biggs explained.

“Government has gotten so big in everybody’s lives. When we step back and we allow people to live their lives, they feel freer. They become more prosperous,” he said.

To attract businesses to Arizona, Biggs, who was in the Arizona Legislature from 2003 to 2017, said the state needs a “good regulatory and tax environment.”

He said his goal would be to “incrementally reduce or eliminate the income tax.”

Biggs noted he wants to follow the example of Elon Musk’s U.S. Department of Government Efficiency and investigate Arizona because reducing government spending could reduce the tax burden.

He added that he will ensure the Arizona Department of Public Safety is fully funded and staffed to make the state safe. Biggs noted that under his administration, Arizona would cooperate with federal authorities on border security.

He also said he would reinstate the state’s border security task force and ensure the state enforces its immigration laws.

In other Republican states, such as Florida and Tennessee, residents will be able to vote on eliminating certain state-administered property taxes. Biggs said he would look into this idea, but he wants to see how it goes in other states.

Biggs told The Center Square that he would work on expanding school choice and health freedom policies in Arizona.

Since being first elected to Congress in 2017, Biggs has been a major supporter of Trump’s agenda. Biggs has voted for major tax-cut policies such as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Biggs supported the Laken Riley Act, which mandates that the federal government arrest certain noncitizens charged with or convicted of certain crimes.

Biggs is a cosponsor of the SAVE America Act, which would require voter ID and proof of citizenship for federal voter registration.

Like Biggs, Schweikert supported the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the Laken Riley Act.

The Center Square reached out to Schweikert’s campaign but did not hear back before publication time.

On his campaign website, Schweikert said he will focus on Arizona’s economy by lowering taxes, eliminating regulations and attracting new businesses to the state.

Schweikert’s campaign website also says he would crack down on illegal immigration in the state.

Schweikert previously told The Center Square that he supports modernizing Arizona’s state government to make it more efficient.

The Center Square additionally reached out to Hobbs’ campaign, but it did not respond before publication time.

The governor has a major cash-on-hand advantage over Biggs and Schweikert. Hobbs has $7.2 million, while Biggs and Schweikert have $1.1 million and $86,388, respectively, according to records from the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.

Polls for the Arizona primary will be open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. MST on July 21. For early results that evening, see thecentersquare.com/arizona.

For more information, visit the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office website, azsos.gov/elections.