MAGA candidates keep losing in Arizona. Andy Biggs is out to break the trend
Andy Biggs Seeks to Reverse Arizona’s MAGA Losing Streak
A Different Approach to the McCain Legacy
Goldlaner.com – Rep. Andy Biggs frequently shares a particular story with his supporters about collaborating with the deceased Senator John McCain to enact legislation that enabled American Indian tribes to issue warnings when children disappear. This narrative has become a staple of his campaign speeches, gaining additional significance given how other recent Republican contenders in Arizona handled the legendary senator’s memory. During the 2022 gubernatorial race, Kari Lake, who became the Republican nominee, made headlines when she urged McCain-aligned Republicans to leave one of her campaign gatherings. Around the same period, Blake Masters, running for Senate, proclaimed that Arizona’s Republican Party no longer belonged to McCain. Both candidates suffered defeats at the polls.
Biggs’ willingness to embrace McCain provides an initial indication of his strategy for addressing one of the primary obstacles he must overcome if Republicans select him as their gubernatorial nominee in Tuesday’s primary election, which appears likely. A staunch conservative who received President Donald Trump’s endorsement and played a prominent role in attempts to reverse the 2020 presidential results, Biggs shares characteristics with recent MAGA figures who mobilized the Republican base yet ultimately faced rejection from Arizona voters.
Can Biggs Win Over Independent Voters?
Whether Biggs can persuade voters that he represents a different type of Trump Republican compared to Lake and Masters may decide if the GOP can remove Gov. Katie Hobbs, currently considered the most exposed Democratic incumbent in the nation, or if the party continues its pattern of slim losses in one of America’s most important swing states.
“I don’t believe Arizona is a blue state or even a purple state. It is a red state,” Biggs told CNN Friday as he shook hands with supporters at a get-out-the-vote rally. “We just have to remind people.”
At minimum, Arizona represents a deeper shade of purple, containing approximately 300,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats. Political operatives across party lines agree the state trends rightward, and Trump’s 6.5-point win here two years ago—his biggest margin among seven battleground states—provides Republicans with grounds for optimism. However, Lake also experienced a Senate defeat during that same election cycle, intensifying Republican frustration over declining influence in a state they historically controlled.
This outcome also highlighted the presence of potentially hundreds of thousands of ticket splitters available this November in a state where one out of every three voters lacks formal party registration. Rep. David Schweikert, competing against Biggs in Tuesday’s primary, contends that Republicans cannot risk another Trump-endorsed MAGA candidate. Schweikert has consistently won one of Arizona’s most contested congressional districts and claims he would leverage that success in a general election likely determined by the state’s expanding independent voter population.
A Measured Candidate with Conservative Credentials
During the race’s single debate last month, Schweikert directed a pointed question to Republicans watching from home: “Are you tired of losing?”
Unlike Lake, who transformed into a firebrand during her campaigns, Biggs does not project the same intensity. The former local television anchor frequently made headlines with bold declarations that surprised even members of her own party. Masters, meanwhile, brought unapologetically strong and controversial positions into his campaign, which followed him through his Senate bid.
Biggs, a 67-year-old grandfather and lawyer, appears regularly on Fox News and seldom employs dramatic rhetorical devices. His delivery tends to be measured, and his language comparatively restrained. Barrett Marson, an experienced Arizona GOP strategist, noted: “He’s no Kari Lake and that does cut both ways. The coverage of her wasn’t positive, but sometimes getting your name out there is half the battle. Biggs barely commands the local TV stations. He’s unexciting.”
Marson continued: “But also unlike Kari, he’s a true conservative, and he has a long record, sometimes to his detriment.”
As chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, Biggs has functioned as one of Trump’s most dependable supporters while simultaneously challenging House leadership with his uncompromising stances. Prior to entering Congress, he dedicated 14 years to the state legislature, establishing himself as one of Arizona’s most conservative legislators. This history has won him favor among voters in his deeply Republican district and contributed to his securing support from Turning Point, the youth-oriented political organization established by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Before Kirk’s death last September, he personally endorsed Biggs.
