Politics · GOP Governor Race · ArchiveArizona Primaries: GOP Governor Race, Swing House Seat Up for GrabsAired July 21, 2026 at 1:59 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Arizona voters are at the polls today0:01for primary elections that will set the0:03stage for control of the governor's0:05mansion and a critical swing house seat.0:07The Republican gubanatorial primary is0:09the marquee matchup. Trump endorsed0:11Congressman Andy Biggs facing0:13Congressman David Schwikert. The winner0:15takes on Democratic Governor Katie0:16Hobbes in November. Polls are open0:18across the state with the highest0:20concentration of voters in Maricopa0:22County, home to Phoenix and the0:24surrounding suburbs. The gubernatorial0:26primary is drawing the most attention,0:28but down the ballot, a competitive0:30openhouse seat in the first0:31congressional district could help decide0:33which party controls the chamber. In the0:34Republican primary for governor,0:36Congressman Andy Biggs has the0:38endorsement of former President Donald0:40Trump. His opponent, Congressman David0:42Schwikert, is pitching himself as a0:44swing district Republican who can win0:46over independents in the general0:47election against Governor Hobbes. The0:49Trump endorsement carries significant0:51weight in Arizona. No Republican who has0:54received Donald Trump's backing has lost0:55a statewide primary in the state. Biggs0:58is betting that track record holds.1:00Schwher argues his crossover appeal1:02gives Republicans a better chance of1:03flipping the governor's office in1:04November. The stakes are high. Governor1:06Katie Hobbes, a Democrat, is seeking1:09re-election in a state that has become1:10ground zero for battleground politics.1:13The winner of today's GOP primary will1:15take her on in what is expected to be1:16one of the most expensive gubernatorial1:18races in the country. The first1:20congressional district is an open seat.1:22Congressman David Schwikert vacated it1:24to run for governor. This is a true1:26swing district. It voted for Joe Biden1:28in 2020 and Donald Trump in 2024. Both1:32parties have contested primaries that1:34could determine which party controls the1:35house. On the Republican side, former1:37NFL kicker Jay Feelely has the Trump1:40endorsement. He faces state1:42representative Joseph Chaplick and1:43businessman John Trobo. The GOP primary1:46reflects the broader battle over the1:48party's direction in swing districts. On1:50the Democratic side, Marlene Gillan1:52Woods has the backing of the Democratic1:54Congressional Campaign Committee. She1:56faces former state representative Amish1:58Shaw in a rematch from 2024. Shaw has2:01criticized the DCCC for endorsing in the2:04primary, calling it meddling in the2:06race. Shaw has publicly criticized the2:08National Party Committee's involvement,2:10arguing primary voters, not Washington,2:12should decide the nominee. The winner2:14will face a tough general election in a2:16district that has swung between parties2:18in consecutive presidential cycles.2:20Arizona's primaries today will shape the2:22political landscape in one of the2:24nation's most closely watched swing2:25states. The governor's mansion and a2:28critical house seat, both on the line,2:29could determine the balance of power in2:31the 2026 midterms.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗