PHOENIX — Two Republican U.S. House members seeking the party’s nomination for Arizona governor took the stage Wednesday, each making the case that they can appeal beyond the GOP base and defeat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in November.
U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, the GOP primary’s front-runner who has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, said polling shows he is in the strongest position to win the general election.
“There’s not a doubt in my mind, if you look at the polling data that you’re going to find, I am the most competitive with Katie Hobbs of anybody on this stage in any Republican in the state,” Biggs said during the debate.
Biggs portrayed himself as able to cross party lines and argued his experience in Congress has prepared him to serve as the state’s chief executive.
U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, who has survived three competitive Democratic challenges in recent years, argued that his focus on government finances and his record of bringing new business to the state make him the singular Republican candidate who can defeat Hobbs.
Both men stressed their congressional experience and their ability to appeal beyond partisan voters, though neither offered detailed policy proposals during the exchange. The debate took place as the state continues to face affordability struggles, a likely central issue in both the primary and general-election campaigns.
Hobbs, a Democrat elected in 2022, is running for a second term. Arizona’s governor race is considered one of the most competitive in the country this cycle, with the state’s shifting electorate and rising cost-of-living placing affordability at the forefront of voters’ concerns.