Andy Biggs, the hard-right congressman wey Donald Trump endorse, don win the Republican nomination to challenge the incumbent Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs for Arizona. The primary wey happen on Tuesday show say Biggs, wey be former chair of the House Freedom Caucus and central figure for the effort to overturn Trump 2020 election defeat, trounce fellow congressman David Schweikert by appealing to the party deeply conservative base.
Hobbs, wey flip the seat from red to blue for 2022, run unopposed for the Democratic side. For another key race, Alex Kolodin, a Republican state representative and attorney wey help lead failed legal efforts to overturn Arizona 2020 and 2022 election results, also win the party primary to become secretary of state, wey be Arizona top election official. Kolodin go face the Democratic incumbent Adrian Fontes for November for the office wey go oversee elections during the 2028 presidential race.
Fontes don cast himself as a bulwark against Trump election denialism, while overseeing elections for one of the most closely watched battleground states. For an all-caps social media post on Wednesday, Trump declare, “A COMPLETE SWEEP! MAGA CANDIDATES WON EVERYTHING LAST NIGHT IN ARIZONA.” He add, “AFTER DECADES, ARIZONA IS BECOMING A REPUBLICAN STATE.” But fact be say Arizona na longtime Republican stronghold wey only recently transform into a competitive swing state, fueled by rapid population growth, shifting suburban voting patterns around Phoenix, and an influx of college-educated voters.
For the decade since Trump 2016 election, Arizona Democrats don gain control of the top three statewide offices – governor, attorney general, and secretary of state – as well as both US Senate seats. But Trump still narrowly carry Arizona for 2024 after losing the state four years earlier, a shock defeat wey he unsuccessfully seek to overturn. Throughout the Republican gubernatorial campaign, Biggs and Schweikert offer contrasting visions for reclaiming the governorship. Schweikert, wey give up his toss-up congressional seat to run for governor after eight terms, argue say Biggs hard-right politics and unswerving embrace of the president allow Democrats to make gains for once-ruby-red Arizona.
But Republican voters for Arizona, as they don across the country, choose the more Trump-aligned candidate. This year, Republicans dey contend with unfavorable national political conditions. Historically, the president party dey lose ground for the midterm elections, and Democrats dey hopeful say dem fit seize control of the House – and possibly the Senate – riding a wave of discontent over high gas prices and an unpopular Iran war wey don drag down Trump approval ratings.
Two toss-up House districts for Arizona key to that effort. Arizona first congressional district, anchored for affluent Scottsdale, don be a Democratic target as the suburbs shift away from the Republican party over the past decade. Two years ago, Schweikert win re-election with just under 52% of the vote, narrowly defeating Amish Shah, a former state lawmaker wey Democrats appear poised to renominate on Tuesday. His challenger, the former local news anchor Marlene Galán-Woods, also seek the nomination two years ago. This year, Galán-Woods, the widow of Grant Woods, the former Republican attorney general wey publicly break with his party over Trump, earn the controversial backing of the Democratic congressional campaign committee.
Shah go face Republican Jay Feely, a former Arizona Cardinals kicker, for November. Feely face Joseph Chaplik, a former state lawmaker, and John Trobough, a technology and telecommunications executive, for his party primary. For the sixth congressional district, wey extend from the suburbs of Tucson to the US-Mexico border, encompassing much of south-eastern Arizona, Democrats hope national headwinds facing the president party go dislodge Republican congressman Juan Ciscomani, wey dey seek a third term. Democrat JoAnna Mendoza, a Marine Corps veteran, run unopposed.
Meanwhile, the contest to succeed Biggs for the safely Republican fifth congressional district don draw unusual attention. The Trump-backed Republican nominee, Mark Lamb, the former Pinal county sheriff, spend the closing weeks of the primary campaign confronting allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power reported for a multi-part investigation by the Arizona Republic. Prosecutors find no basis for criminal charges, and Trump don reaffirm his support for Lamb, wey deny wrongdoing. He go face Democrat Elizabeth Lee, a nurse, for the general election.
Elsewhere, Republicans choose their nominees for two top state positions wey Democrats see as critical to pushing back against the Trump administration. Warren Petersen, president of the Arizona senate, win the Republican primary race to take on Democrat Kris Mayes for attorney general. Mayes, an outspoken critic of Trump, win the office for 2022 by just 280 votes after an automatic recount, making am one of the closest statewide races for Arizona history. He dey compete for the nomination against Rodney Glassman, a former Democrat wey be the party Senate nominee against John McCain for 2010 before joining the Republican party.
Tuesday primary also settle tight contests for legislative races across Arizona, where Republicans hold slim majorities for both chambers of the state capitol.
