On Tuesday, July 22, 2026, Arizona voters selected their nominees for governor, Congress, and other key offices, initiating a fall campaign that will test whether Republicans can regain ground lost during the Trump era in this critical battleground state.

Andy Biggs, a hard-right congressman endorsed by former President Donald Trump and a central figure in attempts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election defeat, easily won the Republican nomination for governor. He will challenge the incumbent Democrat, Governor Katie Hobbs.

The gubernatorial race is anticipated to be one of the most fiercely contested nationwide, with control of Arizona’s governor’s office carrying significant national implications. Arizona became a focal point for election denialism following Trump’s narrow loss there in 2020. Biggs, a former chair of the House Freedom Caucus, defeated fellow congressman David Schweikert by appealing to the party’s deeply conservative base. Schweikert criticized Biggs’ hard-right politics and unwavering support for Trump, arguing it had enabled Democrats to make gains in what was once a reliably Republican state.

Trump narrowly carried Arizona in the 2024 presidential election after losing it in 2020, a defeat he unsuccessfully sought to overturn.

In other races, the Trump-backed Republican nominee for Arizona’s fifth congressional district, former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, faced allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power during the closing weeks of the primary, as reported in a multi-part investigation by the Arizona Republic.

Additionally, Alex Kolodin, a Republican state representative and attorney involved in failed legal efforts to overturn Arizona’s 2020 and 2022 election results, will face Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes in November for the office responsible for overseeing elections in the swing state during the 2028 presidential race.

Mayes, an outspoken critic of Trump, won his office in 2022 by just 280 votes after an automatic recount, marking one of the closest statewide races in Arizona history. He competed against Rodney Glassman, a former Democrat and 2010 Senate nominee against John McCain who later joined the Republican Party.

The results set the stage for a politically charged fall election season in Arizona, a key state with outsized influence on national politics.

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