Secretary of State primary tests Trump allies’ election claims
Arizona was the only state holding primaries Tuesday, and the results will give an early look at voter sentiment in a battleground where Republicans narrowly outnumber independents and Democrats, NPR reported. The state voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 but elected Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs two years earlier.
The Republican gubernatorial primary pits two sitting House members. Rep. Andy Biggs, who has Trump’s endorsement and the endorsement of Turning Point Action, has portrayed himself as a conservative who can appeal to the state’s independent voters, according to NPR. He voted in Congress against certifying the 2020 election results. Rep. David Schweikert, who has won in the First Congressional District — one of only 18 toss-up House seats nationally, according to the Cook Political Report — is running as a budget hawk. Polls show Biggs as the frontrunner, NPR reported.
Hobbs, who narrowly defeated Republican Kari Lake in 2022, will await the winner. Her race is seen as a top Democratic hold in a state Trump won at the presidential level.
Two House seats in Arizona are listed as toss-ups by the Cook Political Report, and both will have competitive general elections in November. The First District is an open seat after Schweikert vacated it to run for governor. On the Democratic side, former state lawmaker and emergency medicine physician Amish Shah faces former broadcast journalist Marlene Galán-Woods — a rematch of the 2024 primary that Shah won before losing to Schweikert. Galán-Woods, a Republican until 2018, now has the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, NPR reported.
The Republican primary in the First District features former NFL kicker Jay Feely, who has Trump’s endorsement and name recognition, and former state lawmaker Joseph Chaplik, a member of Arizona’s right-wing Freedom Caucus. The race will test Trump’s sway in the state.
The Sixth District, held by Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, is the other toss-up seat. Ciscomani is unopposed in the primary, as is Democrat JoAnna Mendoza, a military veteran who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The two will face off in November.
Arizona’s secretary of state race also highlights deep divisions over election law. Democratic incumbent Adrian Fontes faces no primary challenge. On the Republican side, state Rep. Alexander Kolodin — who participated in lawsuits aimed at overturning the 2020 election results and is backed by Turning Point Action — faces Gina Swoboda, the state party chair who won the post with Trump’s support. Swoboda has stopped short of saying the 2020 election was stolen but has cited administrative problems, NPR reported. The winner will face Fontes in the general election.