President Donald Trump claimed victory after his favored candidates — including deniers of the 2020 election results — won their Republican primaries in Arizona on Tuesday.
At the forefront of Tuesday’s winners was Rep. Andy Biggs, the former chair of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, who will be the Republican nominee for governor after besting his colleague, moderate conservative Rep. David Schweikert. Biggs, a Trump ally, voted not to certify results of the 2020 election. Biggs will face incumbent Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, in November’s general election.
“MAGA candidates won everything last night in Arizona, a complete sweep!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social in all capital letters. “I won Arizona 18 months ago. The Dumocrats are dumbfounded. After decades, Arizona is becoming a Republican state.”
If Trump’s preferred candidates prevail in November, they could play key roles in overseeing and certifying the 2028 election. And Biggs isn’t the only newly minted nominee who questioned the results in 2020, when Trump lost the state.
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The second Trump administration has targeted Arizona’s Maricopa County as part of its efforts to investigate long-debunked claims that the 2020 election was rigged. The FBI subpoenaed election records from the county in March, which were handed over by state Senate President Warren Petersen.
Petersen received the Republican nomination on Tuesday for attorney general. He previously assisted in launching a controversial audit of the 2020 election overseen by Cyber Ninjas, a Trump-friendly cybersecurity company. The audit found that former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
State Rep. Alexander Kolodin secured the Republican nomination for secretary of state, the state’s top election official. Kolodin was disciplined in 2023 by the State Bar of Arizona for his role in various lawsuits attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump praised Petersen and Kolodin during a Turning Point USA rally in April, stating that they would help achieve his plans of “building a red wall.”
Other Trump-backed candidates who won congressional primaries on Tuesday include Mark Lamb, who has been accused of sexual misconduct, which he has denied. Former NFL kicker Jay Feely and Rep. Juan Ciscomani also won their primaries for the House.
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