Andy Biggs and David Schweikert offer competing visions for Republican Party in Arizona governor primary

By — Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press By — Jacques Billeaud, Associated Press Jacques Billeaud, Associated Press By — Wufei Yu, Associated Press Wufei Yu, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/andy-biggs-and-david-schweikert-offer-competing-visions-for-republican-party-in-arizona-governor-primary Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Andy Biggs and David Schweikert offer competing visions for Republican Party in Arizona governor primary Politics Jul 19, 2026 2:39 PM EDT PHOENIX (AP) — As the head of the conservative Freedom Caucus in the U.S. House, Rep. Andy Biggs was one of the Republican Party's most hard-line brawlers in Washington, championing President Donald Trump's agenda while frustrating establishment leaders. U.S. Rep. David Schweikert says those uncompromising tactics are a losing recipe in Arizona, where Republicans have watched their power erode as voters rejected nominees seen as too extreme. After decades coexisting in the fractious Arizona Republican Party, Biggs and Schweikert are on a collision course in Tuesday's primary for governor. The race has become a clash of competing visions for reviving the once-dominant GOP to take on Katie Hobbs, the most vulnerable Democratic governor in the country. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Biggs, endorsed by Trump and backed by Turning Point Action, built his political career as a skilled Republican infighter, but he's never faced a tough campaign against a Democrat. Schweikert, meanwhile, is trying to resurrect a version of the party that is becoming increasingly anachronistic. "Biggs lives in a district where if he were a turtle running as a Republican, you're going to win it," said Kathleen Dunbar, 75, a former member of the Tucson City Council who plans to vote for Schweikert on Election Day. "Schweikert lives in a district that's very much like the state of Arizona, where he has to win the independents. And he's done it eight times in the last 16 years." Republicans have struggled in Arizona Biggs' biggest asset is his alliance with Trump. But Trump's endorsement is a double-edged sword in Arizona. No Republican has lost a statewide primary here with Trump's backing. But since 2018, only one of them, former Gov. Doug Ducey, has managed to win a statewide general election. As a result, in a state where registered Democrats are outnumbered by both Republicans and independents, the Democratic Party holds both Senate seats and the top three state offices. READ MORE: David Crowley reenters battleground Wisconsin's Democratic governor primary with Gov. Evers' backing In 2022, a Trump-backed slate of Republicans — led by former local news anchor Kari Lake as the party's nominee for governor — refused to moderate their message in the general election, convinced that a fired