Arizona primaries shape governor and House battles

Arizona voters are choosing nominees Tuesday in races that will help set the fall campaign in one of the nation’s most closely watched swing states, including a Republican contest for governor and primaries in congressional districts that could affect control of the U.S. House.

Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, is running unopposed for renomination as Republicans seek to reclaim the governor’s office. Arizona backed President Trump in 2024 after voting for Joe Biden in 2020, but Hobbs narrowly defeated Republican Kari Lake in the 2022 governor’s race. The state’s politics have remained shaped by Trump’s false claims of voter fraud after the 2020 election.

Four Republicans are on the ballot for governor. The leading candidates are U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs and David Schweikert, with Biggs holding Trump’s endorsement as well as the backing of Turning Point Action, NPR reported. Polls show Biggs as the frontrunner.

Biggs has represented Arizona’s 5th Congressional District for five terms and is a former chair of the House Freedom Caucus. He has been one of the prominent supporters of Trump’s claims about the 2020 election and voted against certifying the results in Congress. He was subpoenaed by the now-defunct House Jan. 6 select committee over his alleged involvement in plans to bring protesters to Washington and his efforts to persuade state officials that the 2020 election had been stolen from Trump.

Francisco Pedraza, head of Arizona State University’s Center for Latina/os and American Politics Research, told CBS News that a Biggs-Hobbs matchup could be a “tight race.” He said claims about the 2020 election and “whether we can trust our election systems” are likely to be central themes, while Hobbs has focused on affordability and curbing school vouchers.

“That is some evidence that when thought leaders — and especially elected officials, public officials, including the president of the United States — when they continue to bang on this drum that there’s fraud happening despite no evidence that that is the case, it sticks, and so people’s beliefs are really tainted,” Pedraza said, citing ASU research that found one in three Arizona voters are “not that confident” or “not at all confident” absentee or mail ballots will be fairly counted and free of fraud.

Schweikert’s decision to run for governor opened Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, a Phoenix-area seat rated a toss-up by both the Cook Political Report, according to NPR, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, according to CBS News. Schweikert first won election to Congress in 2010 and defeated former state legislator Amish Shah by 3.8 points in 2024. He told The Arizona Republic last year that he was frustrated with gridlock in Congress: “We have a body that can’t even pass its appropriation bills.”

On the Democratic side, Shah is again running, as is former broadcast journalist Marlene Galán-Woods, whom he defeated in the 2024 primary. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is backing Galán-Woods. She has faced criticism for having been a Republican until 2018 and for previously supporting GOP politicians. She told The Arizona Republic, “The Republican Party has been driven off a cliff by Donald Trump and people like (incumbent U.S. Rep.) David Schweikert.”

The Republican primary in the 1st District includes former state Rep. Joseph Chaplik, former Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely and businessman John Trobough. Trump has endorsed Feely, while NPR described Chaplik as running further to the right.

Biggs’ run for governor also leaves open his 5th Congressional District seat, considered safely Republican. Trump has endorsed former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who has branded himself “America’s Sheriff.” Lamb told The Arizona Republic when he launched his campaign that he was focused on “faith in God, Jesus Christ, my family.”

The Arizona Republic published a multi-part investigation in May alleging Lamb engaged for years in sexual misconduct, explicit messages and abuse of power and was investigated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lamb’s campaign has denied misconduct allegations, and his wife wrote on Facebook that “after all we’ve been through, a massive smear campaign is certainly not going to stop us from doing what’s right.” Lamb faces construction owner Daniel Keenan, who has put $1.6 million of his own money into the race.

Arizona’s 6th Congressional District is also rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report, according to NPR. Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, first elected in 2022, is unopposed in his primary after winning reelection in 2024 with 50% of the vote. Democrat JoAnna Mendoza, a military veteran who served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, is also unopposed and will face him in November.

The secretary of state race is also drawing attention. Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes faces no primary challenge. Republicans Alexander Kolodin, a state representative who participated in lawsuits aimed at overturning the 2020 election results, and Gina Swoboda, Arizona Republican Party chairwoman, are competing to face him. Swoboda became party chair with Trump’s support but has stopped short of saying the 2020 election was outright stolen, NPR reported.