U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs is staking his run for Arizona governor on a three-plank promise: make life affordable again, secure a durable water future, and actually police the border. In a new interview with The Center Square's daily podcast, he framed the race as a clear contrast with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs' record.
Biggs argued Arizona has slipped on affordability during Hobbs' tenure and said the state needs a change at the top. He pointed to state rankings, including educational attainment, to say the trend lines are headed the wrong way. The Center Square said it sought comment from Hobbs and her campaign and received no reply by publication, and also invited her on the program.
The stakes are not abstract. Affordability, water and border security hit kitchen tables, growth plans and county jails. Biggs is betting that everyday costs, a shrinking Colorado River and a border crisis that Phoenix commercials cannot airbrush will decide 2026.
On taxes, Biggs acknowledged Arizona's competitive standing in national comparisons such as the Tax Foundation, but he wants to go further and join the states that have eliminated their income tax. He also pledged to preserve Arizona's right-to-work status, a line in the sand on labor policy that he says keeps the state competitive.
Water is the flashpoint. Biggs criticized Hobbs' handling of Colorado River negotiations, saying her administration leans too heavily on conservation while the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's plan requires cuts from Arizona, California and Nevada but not from Colorado, Utah, New Mexico or Wyoming. He pressed for augmentation strategies instead of a conserve-and-hope approach.
He said Arizona has significant underground water that has been banked for decades, and pressed for extraction, cleaning and distribution infrastructure to support growth. That is the hard, expensive work voters will want detailed, but at least it grapples with supply rather than slogans.
Border and crime policy are the third rail. Hobbs launched a TV ad in late August touting what her campaign called a record on border security, support for law enforcement and public safety investments. Biggs rejected that pitch, labeling Hobbs an open borders advocate and citing repeals of prior barrier initiatives and the defunding of the state's border security strike force. Those are his characterizations, and he says a governor should lean in with federal partners to restore order.
At the Capitol, Biggs faulted Hobbs for prolific vetoes. Republicans hold both legislative chambers but lack the votes to override a Democratic governor, a dynamic that leaves policy stalled unless the Ninth Floor engages. Biggs pointed to his own legislative career as proof he can assemble bipartisan coalitions on water and rural health care funding.
For her part, Hobbs has tried to frame the election as "stable leadership" versus what her team calls Washington-style division. Biggs countered that she has avoided debates and public forums to defend her record, and he calls Arizona a center-right state ready for a course correction.
