{"id":1977,"date":"2026-06-18T21:37:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T21:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1977"},"modified":"2026-06-18T21:37:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T21:37:28","slug":"gop-candidates-pitch-themselves-as-the-person-to-beat-arizonas-democratic-governor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1977","title":{"rendered":"GOP candidates pitch themselves as the person to beat Arizona’s Democratic governor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHOENIX \u2014 The two Republican congressmen running for Arizona governor pitched themselves at a debate Wednesday as the only candidate with broad enough voter appeal to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs amid the state\u2019s affordability struggles.<\/p>\n

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U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, who is the GOP primary\u2019s front-runner and has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, portrayed himself as being able to cross party lines and having the right experience to be the state\u2019s chief executive.<\/p>\n

FULL COVERAGE: <\/b>2026 Arizona election news, voting information<\/b><\/p>\n

Watch the debate in the video player below.<\/i> <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not a doubt in my mind, if you look at the polling data that you\u2019re going to find, I am the most competitive with Katie Hobbs of anybody on this stage in any Republican in the state,\u201d Biggs said.<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, who has survived three tough Democratic challenges in recent years, believes his focus on government finances and his drive to bring new business to the state make him the singular Republican candidate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are wonderful people, but they\u2019ve never actually been in the great battle,\u201d Schweikert said of Biggs and two other Republican opponents.<\/p>\n

Businessman Scott Neely, who ran an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign in 2022, said after the debate that if Biggs wins the primary, Republicans will lose the election.<\/p>\n

The winner of the July 21 primary will face Hobbs, who\u2019s running unopposed in the primary.<\/p>\n

Biggs has served five terms in the U.S. House, representing a heavily GOP district in the eastern Phoenix suburbs and serving at one time as chairman of the conservative U.S. House Freedom Caucus.<\/p>\n

Before that, Biggs served in the Arizona Legislature from 2003 through 2016, including four years as president of the state Senate. He battled with then-Republican Gov. Jan Brewer on a Medicaid expansion in 2013 and pushed school choice measures and bills targeting abortion providers.<\/p>\n

Biggs is one of Trump\u2019s top defenders in Congress and supported Trump\u2019s false claims the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.<\/p>\n

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Schweikert, a budget hawk known for railing against government debt, has represented an affluent district that includes parts of northeast Phoenix and Scottsdale for eight terms. He served in the Arizona House in the 1990s and as Maricopa County\u2019s treasurer in the 2000s.<\/p>\n

Schweikert has focused his congressional career on sounding the alarm about the federal budget deficit and the ballooning U.S. debt, often in late-night speeches to a nearly empty House chamber and bleary-eyed C-SPAN viewers. Schweikert has praised Trump\u2019s 2017 tax cuts but has called for more spending cuts to reduce federal borrowing.<\/p>\n

His reputation was tarnished by ethics scandals. In 2022, he received a $125,000 fine by the Federal Election Commission for misappropriating campaign funds. Two years prior, he agreed to pay a $50,000 fine and accept 11 campaign finance violations after an investigation by the U.S. House Committee on Ethics. In his last three general campaigns for Congress, Schweikert staved off challenges from Democrats.<\/p>\n

Biggs voiced support for Arizona’s recent passage of a three-year moratorium on tax incentives for new data centers \u2014 a move Hobbs also has touted. \u201cThey shouldn\u2019t be given a break,\u201d Biggs said, noting the large amounts of power and water that data centers use.<\/p>\n

Schweikert bemoaned Arizona\u2019s unfavorable affordability rankings as \u201cpretty miserable,\u201d but said consumer prices don\u2019t come down magically. He vowed to aggressively recruit businesses to Arizona and push for wage growth.<\/p>\n

Both congressmen were asked about the expired healthcare subsidies for those getting coverage under the Affordable Care Act.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to deal with the reality of subsidization of everything in the economy is not going to work,\u201d Schweikert said.<\/p>\n

Biggs said he introduced legislation in Congress to bring down healthcare costs and also voiced support for Trump\u2019s proposal to send money directly to Americans for health savings accounts so they can handle insurance and health costs as they see fit.<\/p>\n

Since Governor Katie Hobbs is running for re-election, no Democratic primary debate is currently scheduled. <\/p>\n

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See previously aired key race debates below:<\/i> <\/p>\n