Trump ally Andy Biggs wins GOP nomination for Arizona governor, AP projects

Rep. Andy Biggs, a close Trump ally who was endorsed by the president, has won the GOP nomination to take on Arizona’s Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, the Associated Press projected. 

Biggs defeated a field of competitors, including Rep. David Schweikert, who is exiting Congress.

Biggs, who has represented Arizona’s 5th District for five terms, is one of the top backers of President Trump’s unproven election fraud claims. Biggs was subpoenaed by the now-defunct Jan. 6 select committee for his alleged involvement in Mr. Trump’s scheme, and his name appeared frequently in the final report. 

The governor’s race is expected to be a tight one. Hobbs defeated Trump-backed Kari Lake in 2022 by less than a percentage point, and the state flipped back to Mr. Trump in 2024. 

Arizona had traditionally been a red state, but Democrats now control the governor’s mansion and both Senate seats, and the state voted for former President Joe Biden in 2020. 

Although Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics ranks the governor’s race as leaning toward Democrats, Republicans still have a strong foothold in the state, and control six of the state’s nine congressional districts.