PHOENIX (AP) \u2014 U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, a fierce ally of President Donald Trump and former head of the House Freedom Caucus, won the Republican nomination for Arizona governor Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Democrats were locked in a close primary contest for a battleground U.S. House district, with emergency physician Amish Shah<\/a> leading party-backed Marlene Gal\u00e1n-Woods<\/a> for the chance to take on Jay Feely, the former Arizona Cardinals kicker who won the Republican primary with Trump\u2019s endorsement. <\/p>\n A Shah victory would be another defeat for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has occasionally struggled this year as voters seek out antiestablishment candidates. <\/p>\n Biggs overwhelmingly defeated fellow U.S. Rep. David Schweikert<\/a> in the primary and will face Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs<\/a> in what could be one of the closest governor races in November.<\/p>\n By choosing Biggs, who supported Trump\u2019s failed attempt to block certification of his 2020 election loss, Republican voters risk nominating another conservative warrior who excites the party base but fails to win a general election by turning off independents. Although the GOP once dominated Arizona, Democrats now hold both U.S. Senate seats and the top three state offices.<\/p>\n Schweikert argued during the campaign<\/a> that Biggs would continue a decade of Republican backsliding. However he struggled to raise money and did not even return to Arizona for Election Day, remaining in Washington as the House passed a government funding bill<\/a>. <\/p>\n Biggs, who had Trump\u2019s endorsement and support from the grassroots organization Turning Point Action, said he can unite Republicans going into the general election. <\/p>\n \u201cEveryone I have talked to is really conservative around here,\u201d said Ray Roberts, a 33-year-old Republican who works as a processing engineer and knocked on doors for Biggs. \u201cWe all have mostly conservative values. I think Arizona is a red state. I think Andy will be the winner in November.\u201d<\/p>\n Biggs faced travel problems leaving a Republican Governors Association meeting in Colorado, according to senior adviser Drew Sexton, and still had not reached his victory party in Scottsdale two hours after he won the race. <\/p>\n State Rep. Alexander Kolodin won the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, defeating Gina Swoboda, the former Arizona Republican Party chair. Kolodin, a lawyer, was sanctioned by the state bar over his involvement with two 2020 election cases that courts found baseless, including one alleging the vote was marred by fraud and demanding Biden\u2019s victory in the state be overturned. <\/p>\n Biggs and Schweikert responded differently to Trump\u2019s GOP takeover<\/p>\n Biggs built a national profile as chair of the House Freedom Caucus from 2019 to 2022 and as a staunch defender of Trump. He assisted the president\u2019s attempt to block the certification of his loss in the 2020 election<\/a>, voting against accepting Electoral College votes from Arizona and other battleground states after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.<\/p>\n He has always represented safe Republican seats and is a veteran of factional brawls within the GOP. Before going to Congress, he nearly lost his post as state Senate president during a confrontation with then-Gov. Jan Brewer, also a Republican, over her push to expand Medicaid. <\/p>\n \u201cI want the border secured. I want the police and more money spent in the right places like education,\u201d said Kate Rouleau, a 67-year-old Republican who voted for Biggs. \u201cBiggs has the same quality as President Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n Schweikert walked a tightrope with Trump, carefully keeping his distance without antagonizing him. That helped him win a string of tough races in a competitive House district but left him isolated from Trump\u2019s \u201c Make America Great Again<\/a> \u201d base. <\/p>\n Democrats focused their attacks on Biggs, whom they plan to portray as an extremist focused on helping Trump and not Arizonans. <\/p>\n In a statement Tuesday night, Hobbs said: \u201cThe more Arizonans learn about Biggs, the more they\u2019ll realize he\u2019s one big problem they can\u2019t afford.\u201d <\/p>\n The race is likely to be another close contest four years after Hobbs narrowly beat Republican firebrand Kari Lake by less than 1 percentage point. Republicans have since expanded their advantage in the state, growing GOP registration by 6% while Democratic registration fell by 4%.<\/p>\n Repeating her victory will require Hobbs to again win a majority of independents and some disaffected Republicans. For his part, Biggs has attacked her as a weak leader who presided over rising costs.<\/p>\n Primaries set the field for a top House battleground<\/p>\n Both parties had hotly contested primaries to replace Schweikert in the highly competitive 1st Congressional District, which both parties are targeting in the fight to control the House.<\/p>\n Feely won the Republican primary over Joseph Chaplik, a former state legislator popular with many grassroots activists, and businessperson John Trobough. Feely had Trump\u2019s endorsement but has been dogged by criticism for living outside the district.<\/p>\n