The Democratic incumbent has no challengers, but four Republicans are vying to face her. The front-runner is Rep. Andy Biggs, who has Trump’s backing.
Four Republicans are facing off to win their party’s nomination in Arizona’s gubernatorial primary on July 21. The GOP winner will go up against Democratic incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs in the general election this fall.
Hobbs, the unopposed candidate on the Democratic ticket, is seeking her second term after flipping the seat blue in 2022 by a razor-thin margin of less than 1 percent.
But the Democratic celebration in the swing state did not last long, as President Donald Trump won 52.2 percent of the Arizona vote and beat Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
Republicans hope they can keep the momentum reignited by Trump, but it will be a tight race—Cook Political Report predicted that the contest may still lean left in the midterm election, keeping Hobbs in office.
Republicans seeking the nomination include U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, businessman Ken Miceli, and entrepreneur Scott Neely.
Biggs, who is endorsed by Trump and Turning Point CEO Erika Kirk, has a strong lead and is expected to get 46 percent to 56 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, according to polling by Nextgen P, Noble Predictive Insights, and Stealth Analytics.
Schweikert is in second, with just around 10 percent of voter support, according to polling by the same outlets.
Other candidates include the Green Party’s Risa Lombardo and independents Teri Hourihan and Hugh Lytle.
During the June 17 primary debate, candidates shared their vision for Arizona.
Front-runner Biggs stood by his ambitious proposal to eliminate the state income tax, which would entice businesses to move to—or stay in—Arizona rather than base their headquarters in states with no income tax, such as Texas, Tennessee, and Florida.
Biggs suggested that if a state income tax were eliminated, services would not likely have to be cut because Arizona can recover the money stolen in fraud schemes, noting recent criminal charges filed against people who allegedly tried to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health care programs of over $1.2 billion.
By Jacki Thrapp
