Arizona Needs a Consequential Governor

Bradley Newman
Apr 23
5 min read

There is little known story that proves AZ deserves Andy Biggs.

Arizona’s border remains the front line of our nation’s immigration crisis. Our water future is uncertain. The cost-of-living squeezes working families every month. Arizonans need a governor who has already fought and won on the battles that matter most.

We are hiring the CEO of our state. In business, you want a leader that aligns with your own vision and has the proven resume to make it a reality. You are voting for the future you want when you vote for our next governor.

Andy Biggs is a proven, results-driven conservative with a record stretching from the Arizona State Senate to the United States Congress. He isn’t repositioning his past record for an election; he is submitting his resume and asking for a promotion.

He’s been the real thing his entire career. The facts prove it and the voters know it.

Read on as there is a little known story that underscores why Andy is the true conservative choice in this race.

Your vote is a hiring decision. Use it wisely.

The Numbers Tell the Story

Multiple polls in recent months show Biggs has a commanding 30-40 point lead over David Schweikert. In the latest local poll by NextGen, Biggs’ lead is 5x that of Schweikert.

The data in this latest poll shows why Biggs’ candidacy resonates relating back to each candidate’s historical views and positions.

Issues That Matter to AZ

Immigration and border security consistently rank at the top of concerns for Republican primary voters. Among voters who name immigration as their top issue, Biggs holds an overwhelming 81% to 6% advantage in general election matchups. The economy, housing affordability, and water round out the list — the defining challenges of life in the modern Southwest.

Andy Biggs has been in the trenches on these issues for years. He serves as Co-Chair of the Border Security Caucus and has made immigration enforcement a central pillar of his legislative career. He holds lifetime ratings of 100% from the Club for Growth and National Right to Life, 99% from NumbersUSA, and 97% from the American Conservative Union.

Schweikert, to his credit, is well-versed in fiscal policy. But his congressional career has centered on analysis of deficit spending and debt — important topics, but not the issues that define Arizona’s future. He has not been a leading voice on the border, immigration, or water. Now he is trying to reposition as a strong conservative for this race. But that’s the tell: if you must reposition, you aren’t the real thing – and voters are telling us this in the numbers.

Leading the Freedom Caucus vs. Leaving It

Andy Biggs chaired the House Freedom Caucus from 2019 to 2021, the most conservative bloc in Congress. He followed Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows, and Meadows called Biggs “an outstanding public servant” and “a strong conservative and a steady voice.” Under Biggs’s leadership, the caucus fought for border security, spending restraint, and constitutional principles.

Schweikert co-founded the Freedom Caucus in 2015, which deserves recognition. But he left the group in February 2023, saying he didn’t want to be associated with the similarly named Arizona state caucus, which he called “much more populist.” The timing was notable — it came right after he barely survived his 2022 re-election by less than a single percentage point, with his vote share declining across three consecutive cycles. When the political winds shifted, Schweikert moved away from the conservative brand. Biggs never wavered.

How Andy Biggs Saved Arizona from the NPVIC

Most Arizonans have never heard this story, and they should.

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement among states to award their electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the national popular vote — regardless of how that state’s own citizens voted.

It seeks to bypass the Electoral College without amending the Constitution. If enough states representing 270 electoral votes join, it takes effect, and population centers like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles would effectively decide every presidential election.

Virgina became the latest state to join which was not on anyone’s radar until Abigail Spamburger effected a political coup in VA. This underscores how important it is to elect a strong solidly, conservative governor.

As of April 2026, the compact stands at 222 electoral votes — just 48 short of triggering.

In early 2016, Arizona nearly joined.

HB 2456, a bill supporting the NPVIC, was introduced by Republican members of the Arizona House. It sailed through the Elections Committee 5 to 1 and passed the House floor 40 to 16, with twenty Republican legislators voting in favor. The Senate version had the votes to pass and Arizona was on the brink of surrendering its electoral sovereignty. (How these so-called Republicans could vote so easily for the NPVIC is whole different analysis in AZ RINO politics giving away our state to the liberal left.)

Two conservative activists, Bob Hathorne and Jim O’Connor, decided to fight. They called the office of Senate President Andy Biggs. Andy got on the phone personally and invited them down. “I’ll give you 15 minutes,” he said. They spent an hour together.

Biggs told them he personally opposed the NPVIC on constitutional grounds. But he was transparent: he had over 100 letters on his desk supporting the compact and none opposing it. He needed to hear from the people against it to successfully block the AZ Senate vote on the bill.

O’Connor, as Chair of LD23, had contacts with all 30 Legislative District chairs across the state. Hathorne had the constitutional arguments, and a booming military voice that wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

Within two weeks, Biggs had over 200 letters opposing the NPVIC on his desk.

Biggs listened. He buried the Senate bill, and it died right there. Arizona did not join the NPVIC and our electoral votes remained ours.

That is Andy Biggs. Principled. Accessible. Transparent. And decisive when it counts.

As Bob Hathorne put it: “Our elected representatives are the automobile. We the people are the drivers.” Andy Biggs has always understood that.

Hire a Consequential Governor

David Schweikert has been a decent, moderate congressman. But decent and moderate are not what this moment demands.

Arizona needs a governor who has tangibly fought on the border, defended our Constitution against threats from within his own party and from the left, and led the conservative movement — not one who walked away from it when it became inconvenient.

Andy Biggs has the record, the principled conviction, the grassroots support, and the conviction to lead Arizona into the future.

It’s time to hire a consequential governor. Andy Biggs is that person.