The races we’re watching in Arizona’s primary
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Arizona was ground zero for election denial in the aftermath of the 2020 election. Now, six years later, it's still a theme in the state's politics. Voters head to the polls tomorrow. We've got everything you need to know to understand those primaries. It's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Tamara Keith. I cover politics. I'm Ashley Lopez. I also cover politics. And we also have KJZZ correspondent Wayne Shutsky joining us today from Phoenix. Hello there.
Hi, happy to be here.
So let's start with the governor's race. Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs is running for re-election. A handful of Republicans are competing for the chance to unseat her in November. How is that race shaping up?
How did Arizona become a focal point for election denial after 2020?
Well, we've got four candidates in that race, but it's really a two-man election at this point. The names you need to know are Andy Biggs and David Schweikert. Those are two Republican congressmen who both want to be the next governor. And at this point, Biggs is really kind of running away with it, both according to polling and just kind of the eye test. Schweikert was trying to present himself as the more electable candidate. Biggs is more MAGA, more far right. Those candidates haven't done that well in our elections in recent years. But he never really found that path and just didn't really have that kind of traction. And it's really hard to tell how that's working with voters because people have really stopped campaigning in this election season.
Which is a crazy thing to say the day before voting ends.
It really is. And I don't know if you guys are seeing this in other states, but they're showing up at these really local Republican Party meetings where the hardcore people are. And I guess that makes sense because those people vote disproportionately in these primary elections. But outside of like a get out the vote effort that Biggs just had this weekend, we really haven't seen a lot of these big public events where I could go out and talk to people and see how the message is resonating. But again, Biggs has the Trump endorsement. And until proven otherwise, that really is a golden ticket in a lot of these primaries. And it's looking to bore out that way for Biggs as well.
All right. So the Cook Political Report, they rate races and they rate this race as leans Democratic. But Republicans remain hopeful that they can knock out Governor Hobbs in November. What's at stake in that race in November?
What's at stake is really the laws of the state of Arizona. You know, Hobbs has been called both by Republicans and Democrats the veto queen. You know, they say it with a different tone of voice. But she's vetoed more than 500 bills in her four years here. And that's a record by far, even compared to other Democratic governors we've had. Republicans have controlled the legislature for decades. Democrats just haven't really been able to eat into that. So she's really... offered a way to temper that control. She's vetoed a lot of the most extreme bills. I'm thinking like culture war issues, stuff that have to do with trans students and bathrooms and the sports they're allowed to participate in. And then a lot of election-related bills trying to remake our election system out here.
And so you could imagine with a Governor Biggs who used to be in the legislature, has a close relationship with a lot of these Republican lawmakers, a lot of those bills that Hobbs vetoed would be getting signed if he were in office.
Yeah, I mean, this is a good example of that.
Who are the leading Republican contenders trying to unseat Governor Katie Hobbs?
Governorships have been where Democrats have been effectively able to kind of push back against Trumpism and MAGAism. And Katie Hobbs is a really good example of that. Like it's, you know, a lot of anti-DEI stuff.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:09
2
How did Arizona become a focal point for election denial after 2020?
1:09–3:30
3
Who are the leading Republican contenders trying to unseat Governor Katie Hobbs?
3:30–11:36
4
What would a Governor Andy Biggs mean for Arizona’s vetoed legislation?
11:36–18:17
5
How are 2020 election denial and proposed election law changes shaping the governor’s race?
18:17–25:00