What’s next for Arizona’s schools and water? Andy Biggs makes his case 8 days before the election

With eight days until Election Day, Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs said he’s energized by the final stretch of the campaign.

“No, I feel great. I’m enthusiastic. I’m optimistic,” Biggs told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Monday.

Biggs said he’s been crisscrossing Arizona as the campaign winds down, saying his team has been “busting it all over the place.”

The Arizona native also discussed his travels across the state, including a campaign event in the East Valley over the weekend in which he expressed amazement at just how big Arizona truly is. Below is a Q&A from the interview.

Andy Biggs, Republican running for governor, on water issues

Water remains a major concern for Arizonans Biggs has spoken with on the campaign trail, he said, even after rain hit parts of the state, including metro Phoenix, over the past year.

“There’s some areas though that say, ‘Hey, we get it. We have lots of underground storage. It’s just a matter of managing it.’ And they’re right. That’s really the issue,” Biggs said.

Forest management is also drawing attention, he said, including at a recent roundtable in Yavapai County, where residents raised concerns about the cost and availability of homeowners insurance in fire-prone areas.

“One of the main issues and the drivers of that was homeowners’ insurance being priced out or they are being cancelled if you live in some of these mountain areas where there’s fires, catastrophic wildfires and sometimes other fires,” Biggs said.

Water and economic concerns remain among the biggest issues facing Arizonans, he added.

What are Andy Biggs’ goals for Arizona’s education system?

Biggs said his education priorities include protecting school choice and adopting approaches used in Mississippi and Louisiana, which he pointed to as models for improving student achievement.

“Well, we’re going to protect school choice, number one,” he said. He also called for moving away from Common Core and emphasizing phonics, literacy and what he described as science-based math instruction.

On teacher retention, Biggs said he would likely support referring Proposition 123 back to voters, but would seek significant changes to educational accountability alongside it. He said those efforts should prioritize teachers, parents and students rather than administrators.

Biggs also called for greater transparency around superintendent pay compared with teacher salaries, along with improvements to school facilities. “We need good teachers, we need them to be there,” he said.

What can Arizona do to mitigate damage left by wildfires?

Biggs said Arizona should thin its forests and encourage the return of logging to help reduce wildfire risks.

“Well, you’ve got to thin the forest, you’ve got to manage the forest, you got to find ways to incentivize the restoration of logging in our state.”

He pointed to the Bill Williams Mountain Steep Slope Project as an example of how thinning can limit wildfire spread. The effort involved county and municipal governments, federal officials and an environmental group, he said, adding that Arizona should also participate.

“We need the state to be a participant in that.”

Biggs also linked forest management to water supplies, saying thinning dense stands of ponderosa pines allows more water to reach the ground and replenish aquifers. He said the work can help reduce erosion, too.

Andy Biggs calls for expanding logging and mining industries in Arizona

Biggs said expanding logging and mining could help revitalize Arizona communities whose economies have historically depended on natural resources.

Although ponderosa pine is less sought after than it once was, he said there are still profitable uses for it and opportunities to bring back more mills.

“And so we’ve actually seen a few mills come back in. I’d like to see more.”

Biggs also pointed to mining projects in southern Arizona and Florence as sources of jobs and investment. He argued that copper should be recognized as a strategic mineral essential to the country’s military and economic vitality.

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