Andy Biggs’ Big Gamble in Arizona

Many politicians dedicate their entire lives to making it to the shining city of Washington, D.C. But that initial glow can fade. Representatives often realize they would rather return to their families and communities and serve in the towns and states they will always call home.

After 10 years in Congress, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., will be giving up his safe House seat in the hopes of serving his home state of Arizona, where the congressman is now the Republican nominee for governor.

In his bid to unseat incumbent Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs, Biggs’ campaign has doubled down on the issues that animated Arizona Republicans in 2024: immigration, election integrity, and affordability. Following a series of losses in statewide races for Arizona Republicans, Biggs is hoping to buck the trend and spoke to The Daily Signal about his platform.

Arizona’s Election Integrity Concerns

As Republicans in Washington struggle to pass the SAVE America Act, an election integrity measure that would require voter ID and proof of citizenship to register to vote, Biggs wants Arizona to take election integrity matters into its own hands.

“We want to pass the Florida-style election integrity bill and get that signed very quickly,” Biggs told The Daily Signal.

The Florida SAVE Act, which Biggs calls the “gold standard” of election integrity, increases verification processes for U.S. citizenship, removes noncitizens from voter rolls, and requires the use of paper ballots to vote.

Biggs claimed Arizona has a reputation for insecure elections. Its current election laws, Biggs claims, create loopholes that allow noncitizens to register to vote in federal elections. If an individual attests to being a citizen but cannot provide proof of citizenship, Arizona registers the individual as a “federal-only” voter until the person can verify citizenship documents and vote a “full ballot” in all federal, state, and local elections.

And that’s if the system works properly. Two years ago, county election officials uncovered 98,000 individuals who could not prove their citizenship and were mistakenly given a “full ballot.” Yet Arizona’s Supreme Court ruled they could remain on the voter rolls.

“On that federal-only ballot, which impacts presidents, U.S. senators, and members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the [Arizona] Supreme Court said we have no jurisdiction over the date, time, and manner of that,” Biggs told The Daily Signal. “So that’s why the Save America Act is so critical for us, and I keep pitching it to my colleagues in D.C. They’re not listening, though.”

While in Washington, Biggs has introduced or co-sponsored major pieces of election integrity legislation. He is a co-sponsor of the SAVE America Act and also introduced the Voter Integrity Protection Act in 2025 to increase penalties for illegal immigrants who vote in federal elections.

Border Security Still Top of Mind

Biggs has also been a staunch advocate of border security and recognizes that secure borders are tied to secure elections.

Biggs currently serves as co-chair of the Congressional Border Security Caucus and has introduced multiple border security bills to “reverse the Biden-Harris regime’s disastrous open-border policies” that led to high levels of illegal immigration in the state.

In 2023, Phoenix’s illegal immigrant population reached 225,000, fueling concerns that noncitizens could be registering to vote if recent revelations in other states apply to Arizona. The Department of Homeland Security has identified more than 250,000 potential noncitizens who illegally registered to vote in California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.

Biggs has cultivated strong relationships with border enforcement officials such as White House border czar Tom Homan and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, whom he plans to work with to enforce immigration laws in Arizona.

“The first thing that we’ll do is we will reinstitute and refund the Border Security Task Force,” Biggs told The Daily Signal. “That will actually get everybody back into the 287(g) Program.”

The Border Security Task Force (BEST) targets transnational criminal organizations and includes the 287(g) Program, which allows local jails, task forces, and warrant service officers to partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Biggs plans to focus these programs on parts of the Arizona-Mexico border that are still open and secure the final stretches that remain vulnerable.

Affordability in Arizona?

One of the main narratives shaping the 2026 midterms is the affordability of everyday goods, and that’s especially the case in the Grand Canyon State.

If elected governor, Biggs would inherit the 45th-worst state in affordability, according to the Common Sense Institute. The report shows that after taxes and necessary expenses, the average Arizonan has less than 20% of his or her gross income remaining. Home prices in the state have more than doubled in the past decade.

Biggs believes prices can be brought down by fighting state government corruption.

“We are going to DOGE the heck out of our state, clean it up, clean it up of corruption, clean it up of fraud,” Biggs told The Daily Signal. “We’re gonna prosecute fraudsters, and we’re gonna save the state untold billions of dollars.”

Though many Republicans are expecting to take hits on the issue of affordability, Biggs thinks he can flip the script on his Democrat opponent.

Hobbs’ financial management of the state has long come under attack from Republicans. Recently, Republicans criticized her original fiscal 2027 budget for its reliance on “fantasy revenue” from unpredictable data center growth and $760 million in grants from the federal government that are not guaranteed.

Meanwhile, utility costs have risen by 27% under Hobbs, who has vetoed legislation designed to curb rising rates. For example, Hobbs vetoed House Bill 2113 in June that would have allowed taxpayers to use Arizona’s residential customer advocate when faced with a 100% or greater increase in utility rates. Hobbs has blamed rising costs on President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran, both of which are national issues.

Hobbs’ campaign did not respond to two email requests for comment by the time of publication.

A Friend of Charlie Kirk

Biggs’ run for governor has drawn endorsements from major political figures such as Trump and Vice President JD Vance, yet one endorsement from a close friend stands out. The late Charlie Kirk, founder of Phoenix-based Turning Point USA, officially endorsed Biggs in May 2025 on an episode of “The Charlie Kirk Show.”

“We are fully endorsing my friend, Andy Biggs,” Kirk said. “We are behind you 100%, and we’re excited to make you the next governor of the state of Arizona.”

Biggs was one of the last people Kirk endorsed before his assassination, which shook the nation on Sept. 10, 2025.

Kirk had anticipated celebrating his friend’s win on election night.

“On election night in 2026, which feels like a long time away, but boy, it’s going to be here just like this, we are going to be celebrating that my friend Andy Biggs is the next governor,” Kirk told a crowd of Arizonans.

Biggs hopes to pay homage to his late friend by erecting a statue in the halls of the U.S. Capitol. He has introduced H.Res. 842 “to honor his enduring legacy of free expression, civic leadership, and unwavering commitment to the American principles of faith, family, and freedom.” If Congress fails to pass the bill, Biggs hopes to erect a statue of Kirk in Arizona.

“If Congress doesn’t place the statue that I’ve introduced legislation for, then I would love for that statue to go here in Arizona,” Biggs told The Daily Signal.

Incumbent Gov. Hobbs vetoed two pieces of legislation earlier this year that would have renamed a state highway after Kirk and created a specialty license plate in his honor because it would have inserted “politics into a function of government that should remain nonpartisan.”

Backed by Kirk and Turning Point Action, Biggs now enters the final three months of a gubernatorial race that could be a barometer for how swing states are feeling two years into the Trump presidency and two years away from another critical presidential election.