Photo Credit: Kevin Lamarque, Reuters
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has had a metaphorical target on her head from Republicans since nearly the precise minute she assumed the office. A few Republicans have lined up for the privilege of taking her on in the 2026 general election, but the path will not be easily cleared for any candidate in the Republican primary.
At the time of writing there are only two “serious” candidates running: Congressman Andy Biggs and 2022 candidate Karrin Taylor-Robson. As anyone who follows politics knows, an endorsement from Donald Trump is essentially the most coveted item for any candidate running as a Republican, and Trump had given praise to both candidates in the past.
So the question was…which one would he pick? And recently we got some clarity…he wouldn’t pick either. Or, well…he would pick both.
Donald Trump announced on his social media platform that say that he would give his “COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT TO BOTH” (his caps, not mine).
Who’s the big winner out of this? Well, no one, but Biggs definitely comes out ahead, as Taylor-Robson had gone out of the gates touting an early endorsement heavily from her. She also needs Trump’s support more than Biggs whose conservative bonafides are well established. A poll from the anti-tax group Club for Growth implies as such, with Biggs polling at a dominant 46% compared to Taylor-Robson’s 15%.
Taylor-Robson attempted to take a more classical Republican, relatively moderate and non-MAGA direction in her 2022 campaign, only to lose to Kari Lake in the Republican primary. She clearly learned her lesson – you can’t win the general election without winning a primary, and you won’t win a Republican primary without being embraced by Donald Trump. Biggs took the wind out of her sails with this joint endorsement.
However, who primary voters choose often isn’t in line with the desires of the larger electorate. Republicans chose the bombastic and polarizing Lake only for general election voters to reject her. In a year that looks as though it may be good for Democrats, it appears as though we might be heading for a repeat: Republican voters choose the more polarizing, bombastic option in Biggs, only for him to be rejected by general election voters.