Andy Biggs, a staunch ally of United States President Donald Trump and former head of the Conservative House Freedom Caucus, won the Republican nomination for Arizona governor on Tuesday, July 22, 2026. He overwhelmingly defeated fellow US House Representative David Schweikert in the primary election.

Biggs will face incumbent Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs in what is expected to be one of the closest gubernatorial races of the midterm elections. Arizona, a state that has swung between Republican and Democratic control in recent years, was won by Democratic President Joe Biden in 2020 but was reclaimed by Trump in the 2024 election.

By nominating Biggs—who supported Trump's unsuccessful effort to block certification of the 2020 election results—Republican voters risk selecting a conservative candidate who energizes the party base but may alienate independent voters in the general election. Biggs expressed his campaign goal by saying, “Let’s make this the year that we turn Arizona red again,” referring to the Republican Party's color on US election maps.

The race is closely watched as a key contest in the 2026 midterms, with both parties vying for control in a politically competitive state.

Sources