by Matthew Holloway | Oct 3, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ01) announced his candidacy for Governor of Arizona on Tuesday and will face fellow Republicans Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ05) and Karrin Taylor Robson in the 2026 Primary.
In a statement to The Hill, Schweikert said, “Arizona is at a crossroads that will be decided by the outcome of next year’s race for governor. Arizonans will have the opportunity to decide if our future is one of economic growth and prosperity for all Arizonans, or a future where we become another California.”
“I’ve spent my career fighting for conservative pro-growth policies that strengthen the economy, promote job growth, and protect taxpayers, and that’s exactly what I intend to do as Arizona’s next governor,” he added.
Speaking to James T. Harris on 550 KFYI on Wednesday, Schweikert said, “Washington, D.C., particularly Congress, is unredeemable,” adding, “Congress is unsavable. I think Arizona, though, is savable.”
The congressman’s decision to join the race has generated mixed responses within the Arizona Republican Party and among top conservative figures. Tyler Bowyer and key figures in Turning Point Action and Turning Point USA have thrown their endorsement behind Biggs. Both Biggs and Taylor Robson were endorsed by President Donald Trump in April, but he has not yet commented on Schweikert’s bid as of this report.
Robson campaign advisor Jeff Glassburner said in a statement, “Our campaign welcomes Congressman Schweikert to the campaign trail. He is a career politician with a well-documented history of opposing President Trump, including abandoning his district at a critical time when President Trump and House Republicans relied on his presence to secure re-election and maintain our House majority. This comes after earlier this year, when he ‘slept’ through and didn’t vote for the President’s marquee piece of legislation, the Big Beautiful Bill,” according to the Arizona Daily Independent.
The Biggs campaign reacted by stating, “No matter what the field looks like, polls have been clear: Arizona Republican primary voters are supporting our campaign. We’ll keep working and building on our lead over the coming months.” He also linked to a recent poll that shows Biggs in a commanding lead over both Robson and Schweikert.
Schweikert’s decision to challenge Arizona’s incumbent Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs will require him to vacate his District 1 Congressional seat, rated by Cook Political as an R+1 ‘Toss-up.’ By comparison, the district 5 seat opened by Rep. Andy Biggs’ run for Governor is far more secure at R+10. This state of affairs was commented upon by Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman, who openly criticized Schweikert for his decision and accused AZGOP Chairwoman Gina Swoboda of influencing him to do so in a post on X on Tuesday.
Hoffman wrote, “Well, this tweet aged well. The AZGOP Chair worked behind the scenes to push Schweikert to run for Governor. Now one of America’s most important House swing districts is in jeopardy. And she’s put the congressional majority for @realDonaldTrump at risk. Very stupid.”
Swoboda denied the accusations, stating officially that she follows the AZGOP bylaws, which prohibit her from endorsing candidates in the primary.
The Arizona Freedom Caucus also criticized the retiring congressman, writing, “David Schweikert is losing his own congressional district to Biggs in the Governor’s race polling TRUE STORY: David was over being in Congress, but his ego, and the ego+bank acct of his consultant, refused to let him just gracefully retire They chose to divide the GOP instead.”
A recent Pulse Decision Science poll showed Biggs as the clear frontrunner in the Arizona Republican gubernatorial primary.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by AZ Free Enterprise Club | Jul 23, 2025 | Opinion
By the Arizona Free Enterprise Club |
15 months. That is how much time we have left until Arizona can elect a new governor, and it couldn’t come soon enough.
Since taking office in 2023, Katie Hobbs has been a complete disaster. The heights of her corruption have certainly been well documented. From her illegal use of public resources to solicit money for her inauguration, to an alleged pay-to-play scheme between Hobbs and an Arizona group home that donated to her inauguration, to shelling out $700,000 to a company owned by the brother of the now-former Office of Tourism Director to create a new state logo, Hobbs has proven that the people of Arizona are her lowest priority. And there are no signs that will change any time soon.
In the latest reveal of her efforts to turn her office into a jobs program for her political friends, it was discovered that Hobbs handed out nearly $600,000 in taxpayer money to a former Democrat politician and her assistant for two newly created jobs. These just add to the long line of other phony baloney jobs Hobbs has created so that her buddies can get paid six-figure salaries to sit around and do nothing on your dime. In fact, just last year, she added six new jobs in the newly created Office of Resiliency (whatever that is), four new employees in the Office of Tribal Relations, and three new in-house attorneys, to name a few. All total, Hobbs has increased executive employment costs by over 50%!
With all these new government jobs, you would think Arizona must be leading the way in the nation for job creation, but no. It’s just the opposite…
>>> CONTINUE READING >>>
by Matthew Holloway | Jun 21, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Republican Congressman Andy Biggs continues to enjoy a comfortable advantage in the upcoming primary contest for the 2026 Gubernatorial Election with what pollster NextGenP described as a “massive lead.” The poll, conducted over June 17-18 of 1,380 likely Republican Primary voters, placed Biggs at a commanding 48.6% over fellow Republican Karrin Taylor-Robson who polled at 26%, barely edging out “Other” and “Undecided” with a combined 25.5%.
The poll has a margin of error of ± 2.6% at the 95% confidence level.
In net favorability polling, the survey was even more decisive with Biggs maintaining a 48% approval rating while Robson held onto just 21%, a difference 27 points. Total approval for Biggs sat at 66%, while total approval for Robson polled at 49%.
“With more than a year until Election Day, Andy Biggs continues to lead with a formidable 22.6-point lead with nearly half the electorate already in his corner. His +48% net favorability and 95% total name ID underscores his strong position, especially compared to Robson’s +21% net favorability,” NextgenP Managing Partner Gregg Pekau said. “But with nearly 18% of voters still undecided and 7.7% favoring other candidates, the field remains fluid-and there’s plenty of time for dynamics to shift.”
Partner at NextgenP Luke Mosiman emphasized the importance of the poll’s sample size saying, “With a sample size of 1,380 likely Republican primary voters, this poll carries real statistical weight. In a landscape often shaped by smaller, less reliable snapshots, these numbers give a much more grounded view of the race—showing Andy Biggs with a 22.6-point lead and nearly half the electorate behind him. That kind of margin, backed by solid data, can’t be easily dismissed.”
Another recent poll from American Commitment at the end of May also showed Biggs with a commanding lead with 57% support versus just 25% support for Robson.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Jun 7, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
In the wake of what Turning Point PAC has declared “the largest launch event in Arizona gubernatorial primary history,” the political action committee has announced a massive initial media buy supporting Andy Biggs in his primary challenge against fellow-Republican Karrin Taylor Robson.
The upcoming media-buy is set to total over $500,000 without accounting for the Saturday “Biggs for Governor” Rally hosted by Turning Point Action and Turning Point PAC, which itself amounted to “an additional $780,000 in earned media value (EMV),” according to a press release.
Per the PAC, the $500k media buy will include “impactful ad placements that go live on strategic cable, over-the-top, radio and direct-to-voter placements most watched and listened to by local Arizonans.”
The $780k earned media value of the launch event includes clips, speeches, and promotional materials which were widely shared online during the weekend and reportedly generated 52.1 million impressions on social media according to Turning Point PAC.
“Taken as a whole with Turning Point PAC’s $500,000 media buy announcement, the organization’s independent expenditures and organizing to support Biggs’s primary launch already amounts to over $1,400,000,” the committee said in a statement.
“To see a room packed with thousands of Biggs supporters this far out from the primary was truly historic, and it’s proof of the grassroots energy that is already gathering behind his campaign. There isn’t a world in which voters will not be aware of Andy Biggs being on the ballot, and the more who find out, the more his double-digit lead over all other competitors will grow,” said Charlie Kirk, founder and president of Turning Point USA & Turning Point Action. “Andy Biggs is ready to bring a President Trump and Ron DeSantis level of leadership and competency to governing Arizona, and Turning Point is proud to get behind his campaign.”
Tyler Bowyer, COO of Turning Point Action and Turning Point PAC added, “Andy Biggs was the best Senate President Arizona has had in decades and he has been President Trump’s most reliable friend in Congress. He is Trump-endorsed, Charlie Kirk endorsed, and Turning Point Action endorsed. His campaign momentum is already building at an incredible clip and we’ve barely just begun. The media buy combined with Biggs’s impressive earned media exposure shows how enthusiastic the grassroots is to make Andy Biggs the next governor of Arizona.”
The media spending blitz comes alongside more good news for Biggs. A recent poll from American Commitment shows Biggs with a commanding lead over Taylor Robson in the 2026 Republican primary election for governor. Conducted by Kreate Strategies, the poll shows Biggs (57% support) leads Taylor Robson (25% support) by 32 points.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | May 9, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson’s campaign just lost three key allies from President Donald Trump’s circle.
The three to depart Robson’s campaign according to Axios sources were Chris LaCivita, Tony Fabrizio, and Chris Grant.
LaCivita and Fabrizio were advisors to Robson’s campaign for the 2026 election; both men were considered key “architects” for Trump’s comeback campaign.
Prior to joining Robson’s campaign, LaCivita was co-campaign manager for President Donald Trump’s successful election bid last year. LaCivita is also employed by former Democratic Party of Albania leader and former prime minister Sali Berisha to advise on their country’s parliamentary election. LaCivita made a name for himself in the political world for crafting the Swift Boats Veterans for Truth which lended to the defeat of 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry.
Fabrizio served as the pollster for Trump’s 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns. In the final weeks leading up to the 2016 election, Fabrizio wrote an internal memo encouraging a greater campaign presence in blue-leaning states — a move that would assist Trump in securing both states.
Grant presided over the Trump-aligned super PAC, MAGA Inc., and works for the political consulting firm Big Dog Strategies. Fabrizio, along with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, were part of the PAC prior to joining Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Trump endorsed Robson in the days leading up to Christmas while speaking at Turning Point USA’s Americafest in Phoenix. Then, last month, Trump dropped a dual endorsement for Congressman Andy Biggs.
The dual endorsement marked the fifth for the president, and a second in a major Arizona race. In last year’s primary for the eighth congressional district, Trump endorsed both Blake Masters and Abe Hamadeh.
In his endorsement announcement for Biggs, Trump explained he endorsed Robson because she had no other competitors running against her for the Republican primary.
“I like Karrin Taylor Robson of Arizona a lot, and when she asked me to Endorse her, with nobody else running, I Endorsed her, and was happy to do so,” said Trump. “When Andy Biggs decided to run for Governor, quite unexpectedly, I had a problem — Two fantastic candidates, two terrific people, two wonderful champions, and it is therefore my Great Honor TO GIVE MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT TO BOTH. Either one will never let you down. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Sources told Axios that advisors departed in part because Robson opted to not listen to them on running campaign ads featuring Trump’s endorsement immediately. Per the advisors, Robson ran an ad featuring the president’s endorsement nearly a week after Biggs received the second endorsement.
“She won’t listen to anyone else, so she can run her own campaign now,” one source reportedly told Axios.
The departure of the three key Trump affiliates follows another considerable blow to Robson’s campaign. Last week, Trump issued an executive order to end a policy supported by Robson: in-state college tuition for certain migrants.
Robson’s campaign didn’t comment on the departures of LaCivita, Fabrizio, or Grant.
Recent polling shows Biggs with a major lead over both Robson and incumbent Governor Katie Hobbs.
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