A Trump-backed congressman overcame scandals and a McCain snub to coast to victory in a gubernatorial primary, per reports.
According to reporting by CNN and NBC News, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) won the GOP gubernatorial primary on Tuesday night with a huge margin of victory. He's set to face off against Democratic incumbent Katie Hobbs.
Biggs won despite a Washington Post report coming out the day before the primary that dug up his involvement in a decades-old legislative episode involving a polygamist sect accused of child sexual abuse.
Cindy McCain, the wife of the late Sen. John McCain, also came out with an endorsement of Hobbs, which could still loom over him in the upcoming midterms, analysts say.
Biggs led the hard-right House Freedom Caucus as its chairman from 2019 to 2022, and called Congress "irredeemable" as he announced he won't run for re-election in 2026. He's a reported election denier who has disputed President Donald Trump's loss in 2020, according to local reporting.
Trump-endorsed Karrin Taylor Robson suspended her campaign earlier, narrowing the field. Trump had backed her before Biggs.
He coasted to victory against his challengers, Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), Ken Miceli and Scott Neely. He had 71 percent of the vote when it was called in his favor, according to reporting by NBC News. Schweikert came in second with less than 17 percent.
Biggs carried Trump's endorsement plus the backing of the late Charlie Kirk and Turning Point Action, per CNN reporting. Arizona is one of five states Trump won in 2024 with a Democratic-controlled governorship on the 2026 ballot, and Trump-aligned Republicans have struggled to break through there.
