What to Know About Andy Biggs, the Trump-Backed Republican in Arizona’s Governor Race

The Grand Canyon State will be closely watched in the midterms—especially because Democrats see Arizona as central to their effort to retake the House. Of the 18 districts the Cook Political Report has identified as a likely “toss up” in November, two of them are in Arizona: the First and Sixth districts.

And the governor’s race is shaping up to be competitive: A May 18 poll by Noble Predictive Insights showed Hobbs leading Biggs 41% to 37%. 

Hobbs has acknowledged that this race will be hard-fought. “Look, I’m not listening to the pundits. I am doing what I need to win,” she told reporters in a press conference before the primary. “We know it’s going to be close. I’m not taking a single vote for granted.” 

“Let’s make this the year that we turn Arizona red again,” Biggs said in his celebration speech on Tuesday. 

Biggs was chairman of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus from 2019 to 2022, and he has been part of the MAGA movement since Trump’s first term. He became a close ally to the President and openly questioned the legitimacy of the election in 2020. Trump has long denied his loss to Biden, though his claims have been repeatedly debunked.