Jamar Younger Arizona Capitol Times//June 1, 2025//
Jamar Younger Arizona Capitol Times//June 1, 2025//
If U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs is elected governor, he wants to eliminate income taxes, further secure the border and help Republican state lawmakers advance initiatives that Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed during the past legislative session.
Just as importantly for Biggs and his supporters, he wants to strengthen the state’s partnership with President Donald Trump’s administration and clear any obstacles to implementing the president’s agenda.
Biggs laid out his vision at a campaign rally on Saturday at the Arizona Biltmore Resort, an event sponsored by Turning Point Action and featuring a lineup of prominent local and national Republican lawmakers and supporters.
Other speakers included Turning Point Founder and President Charlie Kirk, Arizona Reps. Eli Crane and Paul Gosar, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, Rep. Burgess Owens from Utah and former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.
Former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, state Senate President Warren Petersen, and other Arizona Republicans vying for state offices also spoke at the rally.
Addressing a packed ballroom, the speakers expressed their unwavering support for Biggs and the Trump administration, denounced progressive policies, and criticized Hobbs and other state Democrats, including Attorney General Kris Mayes and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.
Although the 2026 election is still about a year and a half away, Biggs and his supporters view this election as crucial to maintaining the momentum from Trump’s election victory last fall.
“If you want to keep this Trump movement going, we need someone that is more like President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement,” Kirk said. “We want a conservative as the governor of Arizona.”
In an unusual move, Trump has endorsed Biggs and his Republican opponent, Karrin Taylor Robson.
Recent polling data from Noble Predictive Insights showed Robson leading Biggs and Kirk, who had been connected to a run for governor before endorsing Biggs.
However, David Byler, chief of research at Noble Predictive Insights, said that Kirk’s endorsement could serve as a boon to Biggs’ campaign and give him access to a pool of younger voters typically courted by Turning Point Action.
“Biggs now has the opportunity to inherit a young, digital-savvy base that Kirk built, which could be decisive,” Byler said.
At the rally, Biggs sought to build on that endorsement as he touted his relationship with Trump and attempted to distinguish himself from Taylor Robson.
“There’s a difference between being endorsed by President Trump and being endorsed by President Trump and having his personal cell phone number,” Biggs said.
When promoting his policies, Biggs condemned Hobbs for vetoing several bills that targeted border enforcement and expedited elections, and vowed to sign those bills within the first week of his governorship if elected.
Biggs highlighted the Arizona ICE Act, a vetoed bill introduced by Petersen that would have allowed law enforcement and government entities to enter into memorandums of agreement with federal agencies to enforce immigration laws.
He also said he would hire the state’s own border czar.
“Arizona will have the strongest border security in the nation,” he said. “We’re going to work with our sheriffs, our tribes, our local law enforcement officers, our magnificent (Arizona Department of Public Safety) and we will prevent the cartels from their evil human child and drug trafficking.”
Hobbs has embarked on her own efforts to counter drug trafficking at the border, including the launch of Task Force SAFE, which has deployed the National Guard to the border to work with the federal government to stop drug smuggling and human trafficking.
Hobbs has said through statements and veto letters that she didn’t want to place burdens on local law enforcement or have local officials take “marching orders” from Washington, D.C.
However, Biggs viewed her efforts as inadequate.
“We’re going to have a real border security task force,” he said.
Biggs also said he would focus on election integrity legislation, as Hobbs vetoed several Republican-sponsored “Florida style” election bills aimed at speeding up election results.
“How many of you would like to know who won the election (on) the night of the election?” he said to applause from the crowd.
In promoting the elimination of income tax, Biggs tied his plan to Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill,” which proposes a series of tax cuts while potentially slashing spending for programs such as Medicaid and has received criticism for potentially adding to the national deficit.
Biggs said the tax cuts would be the key to a free and prosperous Arizona.
“We want to be the most free, most prosperous, safest state in the union,” he said. “And that’s what we’re going to do.”
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