Arizona Republican voters handed President Donald Trump a clean sweep of his endorsed candidates in Tuesday’s primary elections, setting up a general election with significant implications for how the state manages future votes.
Rep. Andy Biggs defeated fellow House member Rep. David Schweikert and two other Republican challengers to claim the GOP nomination for governor, positioning himself against Democratic incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs in November.
Biggs was among the most prominent Republicans who backed Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, making his nomination part of a broader pattern across Tuesday’s Arizona contests.
Cook Political Report had rated the governor’s race a toss-up heading into the primary but shifted its analysis following the results to reflect a slight Democratic advantage, signaling potential challenges for Biggs with swing voters.
Hobbs wasted little time responding to the outcome, posting a video to social media referencing her experience beating “2 election deniers back-to-back in Arizona,” a reference to her 2022 victory over Republican Kari Lake.
Biggs attempted to soften his image during the campaign by emphasizing his work alongside the late Sen. John McCain, a figure broadly respected in Arizona even as he has fallen out of favor within much of the MAGA movement.
Arizona Republicans also nominated state Senate President Warren Petersen in the attorney general’s race, another figure who amplified Trump’s election falsehoods following the 2020 contest.
In the secretary of state’s race, state representative and attorney Alexander Kolodin, who was deeply involved in efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss in Arizona, won the GOP primary and now stands as one of the most prominent election deniers on any competitive statewide ballot in the country.
The trio of Republican nominees for governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all tied to 2020 election denialism, raising the stakes of November’s general election given all three offices play direct roles in administering Arizona’s future elections, including the 2028 presidential contest.
In one of the nation’s most closely watched congressional races, former NFL kicker Jay Feely won the Republican nomination in a competitive Phoenix metro district after defeating former state lawmaker Joseph Chaplik, who had the backing of the House Freedom Caucus.
Trump carried the district by three points in 2024, while President Joe Biden had won it by less than two points in 2020, making it a genuine battleground heading into the fall.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Greg Stanton survived a primary challenge from a left-wing opponent in his solidly blue district, avoiding the fate of several House Democrats who were ousted in recent primaries in Colorado and New York.
Stanton will face Republican Zuhdi Jasser in the general election, with the incumbent’s primary survival offering some relief to the Democratic establishment after a bruising stretch of intraparty losses elsewhere.
Arizona’s primary cycle drew less national attention than states with prominent Senate contests, but its November general elections are expected to be closely scrutinized, with two competitive House seats offering Democrats real opportunities to flip Republican-held districts.
Democrats are also focused on limiting Republican gains in statewide offices, acutely aware that the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state positions will shape the integrity and administration of Arizona’s elections for years to come.
