Republican Matt Salmon thinks his friend Andy Biggs faces uphill battle against Gov. Katie Hobbs

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon has known Andy Biggs a long time and thinks of him like a brother. He also thinks Biggs will be hard-pressed to unseat Gov. Katie Hobbs in the November general election.

“We actually double-dated identical twins back in high school,” Salmon revealed during Wednesday’s episode of The Faceoff on KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos.

Salmon said he thinks his old friend would be a great governor, but the current conditions favor the incumbent.

“It’s going to be like … carrying a baby grand piano up Camelback Mountain on your back with the wind in your face. That’s how tough this campaign is going to be,” Salmon said.

Salmon was the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2002 but lost to Janet Napolitano, who was the last Democrat to serve as Arizona governor before Hobbs came along. He also ran for governor in 2022 but dropped out before the primary and endorsed Karrin Taylor Robson, who lost to Kari Lake.

Why does Matt Salmon think Gov. Katie Hobbs is in a good spot?

Biggs easily won the GOP primary, where he was able to tout President Donald Trump’s endorsement. But Salmon noted that the party controlling the White House historically does not fare well during midterm elections.

“And this is even going to be worse because the Iran war isn’t going all that well,” Salmon said. “The interest rates are incredibly high. You have to almost take out a loan to buy a gallon of gas. The inflation isn’t great. People are not feeling comfortable with the economy, and they’re going to blame the White House, and they’re going to blame anybody associated with the White House.”

Salmon also thinks Hobbs will benefit by the fact that she comes across as “nondescript.”

“She hasn’t really stepped in it that I know of, and I think that she’s been really cautious about not doing anything controversial. I don’t think a lot of people really know who she is, and I think that’s to her advantage,” Salmon said.

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