Early voting for the primary election in Arizona began on Wednesday.
Republican voters will decide between two candidates vying to run against Gov. Katie Hobbs — U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs and David Schweikert.
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Biggs has President Donald Trump’s endorsement and is backed by Turning Point USA, but Schweikert has made the case that he is a better candidate for the general election in November.
The state’s open primary allows independent registered voters — the second largest voting bloc — to request the party ballot of their choosing. Because these nonaffiliated voters have direct influence on the outcome, candidates running in competitive Arizona primaries must appeal beyond their partisan base.
Here are a few races worth watching.
Governor’s race
A poll from last month found Hobbs has a 4-percentage-point lead against Biggs and a 7-point lead against Schweikert in a general election matchup.
Schweikert knows he has a better chance of defeating the incumbent in the swing state compared to Biggs, who is often described as a firebrand and holds Trump’s endorsement.
“I do pretty darn well with independents in one of the toughest congressional districts in America, and have election after election after election,” Schweikert said during the GOP gubernatorial debate. He referred to winning his 1st Congressional District seat to represent northeast Phoenix and Scottsdale. Schweikert also criticized Biggs’ association with TPUSA, saying the alliance could cost the Republican Party the governorship of Arizona.
Postdebate, Biggs acknowledged the organization, founded by the late Charlie Kirk, as a backer of his campaign but told reporters: “TPUSA and I are not what I would call bedfellows.”
Congressional District 1
Another competitive race garnering attention is for Congressional District 1, which is set to be vacated by Schweikert.
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Among Republicans, former NFL kicker Jay Feely, who is Trump-endorsed, former state representative and Scottsdale businessperson Joseph Chaplik and John Trobough, another Scottsdale businessperson, are vying for this seat.
Four Democrats are running for the open congressional seat.
Dr. Amish Shah, the former Arizona State representative, ran for this congressional seat in 2024, losing to Schweikert. Even though he is running again this year, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee endorsed former broadcast journalist Marlene Galán-Woods instead of Shah.
Businessperson Jonathan Treble and community leader Rick McCartney are also in the running.
This race is rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report.
Congressional District 5
The race for Congressional District 5, currently held by Biggs, is also competitive.
Although Republican former Pinal County sheriff Mark Lamb, who is also known as “America’s Sheriff” and is Trump-endorsed, has consistently held a lead, his campaign faced allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power in the final days.
This seat is rated “solid Republican” by the Cook Political Report.
On the Democratic side, three candidates are running: former Army medic Brian Hualde and reproductive healthcare nurse Elizabeth Lee as well as Chris James, who served as an executive in the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Small Business Administration.
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