Arizona Republicans nominated multiple candidates in Tuesday's primaries who have promoted false claims about the 2020 election being stolen from Donald Trump, with those election deniers sweeping top statewide races including governor and secretary of state.
Andy Biggs, a five-term congressman and ally of Trump who participated in efforts to overturn the 2020 election on Jan. 6, 2021, won the Republican gubernatorial primary. State Rep. Alexander Kolodin captured the secretary of state nomination after representing a group of fake electors, work that led to discipline from the Arizona State Bar. State Senate President Warren Petersen held a lead in the attorney general race late Tuesday, though his contest had not yet been called.
The victories reflect continued support among Arizona Republican primary voters for candidates who challenged the 2020 results, even as previous election deniers have lost general elections in the state.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who ran unopposed in her party's primary and will face Biggs in November, framed the gubernatorial race as a choice between confidence and conspiracy in Arizona's election system. "Arizona is one of seven swing states that will decide the presidential election," Hobbs said during an appearance on MS NOW Tuesday evening. "If Andy Biggs is governor, Arizona is the first swing state with an election denier in charge, and the time to stop that is not 2028. It is right now."
Arizona Democrats have pointed to recent electoral history as evidence that election denial can be politically toxic in the general election. In 2022, Republicans nominated hardline election deniers across the ballot — Kari Lake for governor, Blake Masters for U.S. Senate, and Mark Finchem for secretary of state — and lost each race despite an otherwise strong Republican year nationally.
What the Right Is Saying
Former Rep. Matt Salmon, a Republican who represented Arizona in Congress, said carrying the Trump line on election denial provides benefits in Republican primaries. "In the Republican Party in Arizona, in the primary, carrying the Trump line on virtually everything — and that includes election denialism — is still something that benefits you," Salmon said.
However, Salmon acknowledged the political liability in November. "Among independents and moderate Republicans who vote in the general election, election denialism is not an asset," he said. "It's a stone around your neck."
One Arizona Republican strategist, granted anonymity to discuss the issue candidly, noted that while election integrity measures are broadly popular, emphasizing 2020 denial highlights divisions about Jan. 6 and has not been a winning general election message. The strategist suggested general election voters in 2026 may focus more on affordability issues than past election disputes.
What the Numbers Show
In 2022, Arizona Republicans lost all three statewide races they contested with prominent election deniers as nominees: Lake for governor, Masters for Senate, and Finchem for secretary of state. In 2024, Kari Lake again lost in her bid for U.S. Senate, even as Trump carried Arizona by more than five percentage points — a performance that outperformed down-ballot Republicans significantly.
The Grand Canyon State became ground zero for Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election. A group of Republicans who falsely posed as alternate electors were later charged with forgery, fraud and conspiracy in an ongoing case. Biggs was subpoenaed in an Arizona probe related to these efforts. Kolodin filed lawsuits attempting to overturn both the 2020 and 2022 elections.
The Bottom Line
The primary results demonstrate that election denial remains a winning strategy in Arizona Republican primaries, where Trump-aligned voters dominate turnout. Biggs and Kolodin will now carry that association into competitive general election matchups against well-funded Democratic incumbents.
Longtime Arizona GOP strategist Barrett Marson said the nominees "will be saddled with election denialism for the next three months." He noted that while Democrats face their own challenges focusing on affordability, some of their messaging will emphasize concerns about having election deniers in positions overseeing future elections. The outcomes could determine whether Arizona's election administration remains in Democratic or Republican hands heading into future presidential cycles.