By: Matt Salmon
Arizona Republic
August 7, 2016
It wasn’t a hard decision to leave Congress. I missed my wife, my children and my grandchildren. No matter how hard I was able to fight for the futures of my loved ones in Washington, D.C., every time I came home I was reminded of how much I was leaving behind – and how much of their precious lives I was missing.
While I had to come home, I also knew I had to find a worthy replacement, one who would fight as hard as I had for my grandchildren’s futures, and for the futures of all Arizona’s children and grandchildren.
So, I made my one and only phone call – to Andy Biggs, the current president of the Arizona Senate. Andy is a man who has a strong record of standing for a smaller, transparent and more accountable government. Most importantly, I knew Andy recognized the importance of our constitutional government and the fight that would be necessary to save it.
Biggs needed a lot of convincing
As I suspected, Andy needed a lot of convincing to leave Arizona, brave the weekly round-trip flights to Washington, D.C., and fight the battles that few others in Washington, D.C. are willing or able to wage against the establishment and a liberal ideology that seeks to infiltrate and tear apart every remaining fabric that was instituted by our founding fathers. Andy has never wanted to go to Congress, and true to my deepest intuitions, he did not want to run.
But like the fights I waged in the U.S. House of Representatives, the battle to convince Andy Biggs to run for my seat in Congress was well worth the time and energy I spent to persuade him to enter the fray. After much prayer and conversation with his family, Andy Biggs decided to make a sacrifice and to run to represent the voters of Arizona’s 5th Congressional District. And now that he is in, he is in it to win it.
Why do I have such supreme faith and confidence in Andy Biggs to replace me in Congress?
But he’s a fighter, and that’s what we need
For one, Andy Biggs is a fighter. He never backs down from any conflict that runs afoul of his values and principles. No matter how high the stakes nor how consequential the political retribution, Andy Biggs stands up for what he knows to be right and true.
Most people who run for Congress say they will fight for this, fight for that. However, when faced with the perks and glories of falling in line with the ruling establishment class, fighting is the last action that most of members of Congress actually want to do.
Mailers and television ads often sell voters a false impression of a wannabe fighter. It’s important, though, to look at one’s record and compare his or her votes and actions with the rhetoric on the campaign trail. No matter how you look at it, Andy Biggs’ record matches his qualification to be a fighter for you and me in Washington, D.C.
Second, Andy Biggs is a strict constitutionalist, someone who believes in limited government, family values, increased border security, and a strong national defense. You’ll never have to wonder how Andy Biggs will vote in the U.S. House of Representatives just as you knew where I always stood on the issues. In a country filled with fickle politicians, this knowledge brings tremendous peace and comfort to voters.
As we count down the days to the primary election, the mailboxes and airwaves will be full of political spin and attacks. It’s important, though, to cut through the clutter and to determine who you can trust to represent you against the forces aligned against us in Washington, D.C. I trust Andy Biggs.