Arizona GOP Votes in Primaries for Governor, Top Offices
PHOENIX — Arizona Republicans headed to the polls on Tuesday to select nominees for governor and other top state offices in primaries that will shape the battleground state’s political landscape ahead of the November general election. The marquee contest pits two sitting U.S. representatives — Andy Biggs and David Schweikert — against each other in a race that reflects a deeper struggle over the direction of the Arizona GOP.
The winner will face Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in the fall, who is considered the most vulnerable Democratic governor in the country this election cycle, according to AP News.
The Biggs-Schweikert Showdown
Biggs, a former chair of the House Freedom Caucus, has positioned himself as the Trump-endorsed, MAGA-aligned candidate. He has built a national profile as a staunch defender of President Donald Trump and has the backing of Turning Point Action’s grassroots turnout machine. Schweikert, by contrast, has cast himself as a pragmatic fiscal conservative who can win over the independent voters that decide general elections in Arizona.
“Right now Biggs has momentum and it’s hard to see a pathway for Schweikert’s nomination,” Don Critchlow, director of the Arizona State University Center for American Institutions, told Cronkite News.
The two congressmen represent neighboring districts in metro Phoenix but have taken markedly different paths to this moment. Biggs has always represented safe Republican seats and has been a veteran of factional brawls within the GOP. Schweikert has walked a tightrope with Trump, carefully keeping his distance without antagonizing him — a strategy that has helped him win a string of tough races in a competitive House district.
A Battle for the Party’s Future
The primary represents a fundamental debate about the Republican Party’s path forward in Arizona. In 2022, Trump-backed Kari Lake lost the governor’s race to Hobbs by less than 1% after refusing to moderate her message for the general election. Biggs represents a continuation of that base-first strategy, while Schweikert argues for a more moderate approach that can win over independents.
“If you come from a 16-point Republican district, you don’t actually have to pay attention to the third of Arizona voters that are independent. I do,” Schweikert told 12News, as reported by Cronkite News.
A May 2026 poll from Noble Predictive Insights showed Biggs at 48% among GOP primary voters, just shy of the majority threshold, while Schweikert trailed significantly. The same survey found Hobbs leading Biggs 41%-37% in a general election matchup, with 16% of voters undecided.
Congressional Races in the Spotlight
Beyond the governor’s race, Tuesday’s primaries will set the field for several critical U.S. House contests. The 1st Congressional District — Schweikert’s open seat — is expected to be one of the most competitive races in the country and could help determine which party controls the House.
On the Republican side, former NFL kicker Jay Feely has Trump’s endorsement but has faced criticism for living outside the district. He faces former state legislator Joseph Chaplik and businessperson John Trobough. On the Democratic side, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has controversially backed Marlene Galán-Woods, a former television news anchor who used to be a Republican, over Amish Shah, an emergency medicine doctor who was the party’s 2024 nominee.
In the 6th Congressional District, incumbent Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani is unopposed in his primary and will face Democrat JoAnna Mendoza, a Marine veteran, in November. The seat is perennially competitive and is a top pickup target for Democrats, according to Al Jazeera.
Statewide Offices and Progressive Challenges
Republicans are also picking nominees for secretary of state and attorney general — key posts with power over elections in a state that was central to Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 loss. All 30 state Senate seats and all 60 state House seats are also on the ballot.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Greg Stanton faces a progressive primary challenge from Kai Newkirk, who has made U.S. support for Israel a central issue in the campaign. The race highlights growing divisions within the Democratic Party over the war in Gaza.
What to Watch
Polls closed at 7 p.m. local time across most of Arizona, with more than 755,000 ballots already cast before Election Day. Results are expected to begin flowing in shortly after polls close, though close contests could take longer as additional mail ballots are processed.
The outcome of Tuesday’s primaries will not only determine who appears on the November ballot but will also offer an early indicator of whether the Republican Party’s path back to power in Arizona runs through its MAGA base or through a more coalition-oriented approach.