Arizona primaries put governor’s race and House control in play
Republicans are choosing a challenger to Gov. Katie Hobbs as open and toss-up House races test Trump’s clout in Arizona.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
4 min read
Arizona voters head to the polls Tuesday with a governor’s race at the top of the card and two congressional contests that could ripple into the fight for the U.S. House.
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has no primary opponent, CBS News reported, while four Republicans are competing for the nomination to face her in November. The leading names are Reps. Andy Biggs and David Schweikert, with President Trump endorsing Biggs.
Arizona remains a political tug-of-war state. CBS News noted that Republicans hold six of its nine House seats, while Democrats currently occupy the governor’s office and both U.S. Senate seats. The state backed Joe Biden in 2020, then went for Trump in 2024.
Biggs tries to turn House clout into a governor bid
Biggs, a five-term congressman from Arizona’s 5th District and former chair of the House Freedom Caucus, is ahead in early polling, according to CBS News. Francisco Pedraza, who leads Arizona State University’s Center for Latina/os and American Politics Research, told CBS News he could see a Hobbs-Biggs general election becoming close.
The race is already carrying the weight of 2020. CBS News reported that Biggs has been one of the most prominent supporters of Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. The now-ended House Jan. 6 select committee subpoenaed Biggs over alleged involvement in plans to bring protesters to Washington and efforts to persuade state officials that Trump had been cheated, according to committee materials cited by CBS News.
Pedraza told CBS News that confidence in elections is likely to be a major issue, even as Hobbs has emphasized affordability and limiting school vouchers. ASU research on the 2024 election found that one-third of Arizona voters were either “not that confident” or “not at all confident” that mail or absentee ballots would be counted fairly and without fraud.
Hobbs won the governorship in 2022 by narrowly defeating Kari Lake, a Trump ally who also promoted false 2020 election claims. CBS News reported that Trump later picked Lake to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, though the Senate has not confirmed her.
A toss-up fight in the 1st District
Schweikert’s run for governor opens fresh drama in the 1st Congressional District, where his 2024 win over former state lawmaker Amish Shah was by 3.8 points. Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics rates the district a toss-up.
Republicans running there include former state Rep. Joseph Chaplik, former Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely and businessman John Trobough. Trump has endorsed Feely, CBS News reported.
On the Democratic side, Shah is running again. So is Marlene Galán-Woods, a former broadcast journalist who lost to Shah in the 2024 primary and is now backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
The Arizona Republic has reported criticism of Galán-Woods over her past Republican registration and support for GOP candidates. She told the newspaper that the party had changed, saying it had been driven “off a cliff” by Trump and politicians such as Schweikert.
Biggs’ old seat brings a messy GOP primary
Biggs’ decision to seek the governorship leaves his 5th District seat open. The district is rated Safe Republican by Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and Biggs won it by more than 20 points in 2024, according to CBS News.
Trump is backing former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who has used the nickname “America’s Sheriff.” Lamb told the Arizona Republic at his campaign launch that he was focused on “faith in God, Jesus Christ, my family.”
The Arizona Republic published a multi-part investigation in May alleging sexual misconduct, explicit messages and abuse of power by Lamb over several years, and reported that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints investigated sexual claims involving him. CBS News reported it contacted Lamb’s campaign.
Lamb’s campaign has denied misconduct allegations, according to Politico. In a May Facebook post cited by CBS News, Lamb’s wife called the accusations a “massive smear campaign.”
Construction company owner Daniel Keenan is challenging Lamb and has put $1.6 million of his own money into the race. A Keenan-backed poll by a Republican firm recently showed him narrowly ahead, CBS News reported. Three Democrats are also running for the seat.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.