By Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) – Republican voters in Tuesday’s Arizona primaries nominated conservative candidates for high-profile races for governor and a U.S. House seat, as Democrats rallied behind moderates leading up to the November 3 midterm elections.
The results also marked wins for U.S. President Donald Trump, who endorsed victorious Republicans in two of the most-watched primary races.
U.S. Representative Andy Biggs comfortably won the Republican nomination for governor and will face Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs, who was unopposed in her primary.
With Trump’s endorsement in hand, Biggs handily defeated U.S. Representative David Schweikert and two other candidates, according to media projections.
Biggs is a former head of the right-wing U.S. House Freedom Caucus, which advocates deep cuts to social safety net programs as part of its platform of addressing federal budget deficits and debt.
In 2022, Republicans similarly nominated a right-wing candidate for governor, Kari Lake, who ended up being defeated by Hobbs in a close race.
Meanwhile, former professional football player Jay Feely, who is also backed by Trump, defeated two challengers, secured the Republican nomination that puts him on the November ballot for election to Arizona’s 1st Congressional District.
The seat is currently held by Schweikert.
Democrats have targeted this open Phoenix metropolitan district seat as a top priority in their quest to win back majority control of the House from Republicans.
Registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats in Arizona, but the large number of independents makes for a state that is considered closely divided.
Trump congratulated his allies’ victories in a social media post on Wednesday. “A complete sweep,” he wrote in all capital letters.
It was still unclear which Democrat would be nominated to run against Feely.
With 96% of votes counted as of Wednesday morning, Amish Shah was leading Marlene Galan-Woods, 40.5%-33.6%. Shah, an emergency room doctor, narrowly defeated Galan-Woods for the party nomination in 2024. She is a former Republican and ex-broadcast journalist whose supporters range from U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Republicans currently hold 218 House seats to Democrats’ 212 seats, not counting one independent who caucuses with Republicans and four vacancies. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to regain majority control of the House starting in 2027.
Political analysts see the November race as a toss-up in a district that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden won in 2020. Trump won the district in 2024.
A second U.S. House seat is also considered a November toss-up in the 6th Congressional District, currently held by Republican U.S. Representative Juan Ciscomani. Ciscomani had no primary challenger, and neither did Democratic candidate JoAnna Mendoza.
SPOTLIGHT ON GUBERNATORIAL RACE
The governor’s race between Hobbs and Biggs is expected to be hard-fought.
However, the Cook Political Report has adjusted its forecast from a toss-up to “lean Democratic,” noting that Biggs is a 2020 presidential election denier and a “potentially polarizing” figure in this swing state.
That is a narrative that Democrats hope also carries them to victory in the race for the governorship, as well as three of the nine U.S. House races in Arizona this autumn, including the 2nd District seat currently held by Republican U.S. Representative Eli Crane.
Media outlets have reported that Cindy McCain, the widow of the late maverick Republican Senator John McCain, has endorsed Hobbs in her race against Biggs.
During Trump’s first term as president he engaged in attacks on McCain, including over his 2017 vote against dismantling the “Obamacare” health insurance law also known as the Affordable Care Act.
The November elections, coming midway into Trump’s second term, will determine whether his fellow Republicans will continue to control both chambers of Congress through 2028, or whether Democrats will put up roadblocks to his administration by winning majorities in the House of Representatives, Senate or both.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan in Washington; additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Michael Learmonth, Matthew Lewis, Michael Perry and Nick Zieminski)
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