Katie Hobbs and Andy Biggs lay out competing visions ahead of likely November matchup

The July 21 primary is still nearly two weeks away, but Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republican front-runner Andy Biggs are already road-testing the arguments they expect to carry into November.

In separate KTAR News 92.3 FM appearances Thursday, both offered voters a preview of the general election contest taking shape.

Katie Hobbs likens Andy Biggs to the ‘arsonist calling the fire department’

Asked about Biggs’ slogan, “Biggs will fix it,” Hobbs pointed to his congressional voting record and questioned what he has accomplished.

“What has he fixed at all in his entire career in politics? Nothing,” Hobbs said on KTAR 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos. “He is championing Washington’s cost-hiking agenda that is hurting Arizonans every day.”

Hobbs, a Democrat seeking a second gubernatorial term, said Biggs consistently lands in a small minority on bills that pass with large bipartisan majorities.

“He fought to keep healthcare away from Arizonans. He’s continued to do that in Congress. There are votes that … pass with huge majorities, and he’s in the small, small, small minority of people that votes no.”

She summarized it with an analogy.

“I don’t know how you have that record in Congress and then think you can– it’s like the arsonist calling the fire department,” Hobbs said.

 

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Andy Biggs touts bipartisan record

Biggs, who represents Arizona’s 5th Congressional District, leads in Republican primary polls ahead of the July 21 vote.

In a separate podcast interview, Biggs said his focus is already on the general election. Biggs pushed back against the idea that he is too partisan for a statewide race, citing his record as Arizona Senate president and his work across the aisle in Congress.

“I’ve worked with Kyrsten Sinema. We got the Right to Try bill. I worked with Senator McCain. We got the Amber Alert in Indian Country bill,” Biggs told the KTAR News 92.3 FM AZ Political Podcast. “I’ve worked with people as diverse and varied as Jerry Nadler and Pramila Jayapal on FISA bills.”

He said if elected, he would find common ground with Democratic leaders.

“I’ll place the call with the Democrats and just discover if there are points of comity that we can get together on,” Biggs said. “I suspect that there are bills that they would be OK with, or at least some of them will be okay with, that the Republicans will put forward.”

Hobbs said she is focused on the general election and offered her own message to counter Biggs’ slogan.

“I am all about Arizona first,” Hobbs said.

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