The GOP Picks A Right-Wing Congressman For One Of Its Biggest Midterm Opportunities

Rep. Andy Biggs, a staunch conservative who once led the rabble-rousing House Freedom Caucus and helped President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the presidential election results in 2020, is projected to win Tuesday's Republican primary to challenge Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in Arizona, easily dismissing a challenger who suggested a mellower approach could go further in winning over swing voters.

Biggs' victory over Rep. David Schweikert, a fellow conservative with far less of a firebrand reputation and a history of winning tough races in the state's populous suburbs, is a clear display of how GOP primary voters have not shown any inclination toward moderation ahead of the 2026 midterms, even as the political environment begins to sharply favor Democrats.

Biggs was dominating the vote at 11:30 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, winning 71.5% to 15.7% and leading in every county that had reported voters so far. 

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Biggs had the backing of Trump, along with the support of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the Turning Point Action network he founded, which is particularly influential in Arizona Republican politics. He is campaigning to eliminate the state's income tax and has attempted to play up his bipartisan credentials.

Hobbs, a mainstream and relatively low-key Democrat, defeated Trump ally Kari Lake in 2022 to win the governorship. The limited public polling shows her with healthy leads over Biggs. His Republican rivals repeatedly suggested during the campaign that Biggs' unflinching conservative stances would make it difficult for him to triumph in November.

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"I'm heartbroken I have a candidate who, every focus group, every data point I've seen, cannot win," Schweikert told local reporters after a candidate forum last month. Republicans once dominated Arizona, but have lost the governorship and both of the state's Senate seats during the Trump era. 

Trump had initially endorsed Karrin Taylor Robson, a more moderate candidate who lost the 2022 primary to Lake, for the governor's job, but made a second endorsement of Biggs once the congressman jumped into the race. Robson ultimately quit the race in February.

Hobbs has already begun aggressively spending to attack Biggs and promote herself in television ads, and a digital ad her campaign released shortly after Biggs' victory highlights numerous ways she could attack the Republican, noting everything from his support to raising the retirement age to "a decades-long record of protecting pedophiles."

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