Arizona Republicans awoke to a clarified statewide ballot on Wednesday: Congressman Andy Biggs secured the GOP gubernatorial nomination in a race called minutes after polls closed, and Senate President Warren Petersen opened a substantial but as-yet-uncalled lead in the Republican attorney general primary. That sets up a likely November contrast with Democratic incumbents Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes, who ran unopposed in their primaries. (Arizona Capitol Times: https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2026/07/21/biggs-petersen-lead-gop-governor-ag-primaries/)
The consequence is straightforward for state power and litigation. While Republicans have controlled the Legislature for decades, Democrats’ control of the governor’s office and attorney general’s office has checked GOP policy. Hobbs has vetoed hundreds of Republican-backed bills since 2023, and Mayes has pushed back on a number of GOP legislative and federal priorities. Voters will now decide whether to continue that arrangement or change course for the next four-year term. (Arizona Capitol Times)
Biggs entered Election Night as the heavy favorite, with pre-election polling showing a significant lead over fellow U.S. Rep. David Schweikert and businessmen Scott Neely and Ken Miceli. Initial returns backed that up: Biggs took over 71% of the vote, with Schweikert at 16%, Neely at 7%, and Miceli at 5%. “Tonight’s results show that Arizonans overwhelmingly believe in our vision,” Biggs said, pledging to “unite the Republican Party” and campaign for votes across party lines in the general election. (Arizona Capitol Times)
The call for Biggs came minutes after 8 p.m., but the congressman was not on hand to celebrate. His wife, Cindy Biggs, told supporters he attended a Republican Governors Association meeting earlier in the day and was delayed by weather, arriving to a largely thinned-out crowd at a north Scottsdale jet hangar hours later. “He needs their support, Arizona needs their support,” she said of the RGA appearance. (Arizona Capitol Times)
The more legally consequential contest remains the GOP attorney general primary. Petersen led Rodney Glassman 56% to 44% in initial results, a margin that widened as more votes arrived. According to an Associated Press county breakdown cited by the Capitol Times, Petersen held majority support in every county except Santa Cruz, Cochise, Greenlee and La Paz, where Glassman led narrowly. Before any official call, Petersen told supporters, “Tonight we celebrate, but tomorrow we get back to work,” framing the race around “public safety, accountability, and respect for the rule of law.” (Arizona Capitol Times)
Petersen and Glassman centered their contest on legal experience. Petersen credits his Senate leadership with setting up a “mini Solicitor General’s office” and stepping into litigation to defend state laws that Mayes declined to back. Glassman cites his service in the U.S. Judge Advocate General Reserves, where he claims to have prosecuted eight cases and supervised fraud claims. The party’s power brokers stayed neutral: neither candidate secured endorsements from Turning Point U.S.A. nor from President Donald Trump. (Arizona Capitol Times)
