Democrats won’t determine who the next Arizona governor will be. Neither will Republicans. The next chief executive of the Grand Canyon State will be chosen by the “Others.” And the “Others” are much, much more likely to prefer David Schweikert to Andy Biggs.
“Other” is an official Arizona government term for what most people call “independents.” Cronkite News’s Regina Romo defined them as “officially unaffiliated or ‘other’ voters who do not align with a party,” in her article on August 31st, 2023. The article said that voters who, when they registered to vote, did not align themselves with a traditional political party, had just become the largest voter registration category in Arizona. “The largest political party in Arizona is no longer a party,” said Romo.
Current Arizona Secretary of State voter registration totals show that the GOP is now the largest political party by registration in Arizona—by a whole percentage point! 35.54% of Arizona voters are registered as Republicans, followed closely by Other at 34.48. (Democrats are at 28.13%). So, it stands to reason that the Others will be the decisive swing vote in November.
Across the country, voters are turning away from the establishment parties. Here’s what Google AI has to say: “The percentage of independent voters in the United States is growing and has reached record highs, according to Gallup polling released in January 2026. As of early 2026, a record-high 45% of U.S. adults identify as political independents, surpassing the previous record of 43% and representing a steady upward trend over the past 15 years.”
People—especially young people—are turned off by the extreme partisanship they see in the national Democratic and Republican parties. Their votes are up for grabs. More to the point, if they are turned off by the candidates they see running for office, they are more like to stay at home, and not vote (or donate) at all.
Republicans and conservatives, who want to see conservative state government in Arizona, will get better turnout and support from the “Others” if David Schweikert is their candidate for governor in November. Schweikert has built credibility with moderates and rational liberals, not only in Arizona but across the country, through years of public service. He is a regular on social media, giving speeches in the House of Representatives that patiently and thoroughly explain how federal overspending threatens our future. For decades he’s been a regular on the Chris DeSimone radio and Internet/YouTube show in Tucson. (He was more visible in Tucson than Martha McSally was when she was the region’s elected representative in Congress!)
The Others are moderates or politically unaffiliated. Many of them will be put off by Andy Biggs’ stridency and turbo-MAGA reputation. That reputation may be unwarranted—but that won’t matter, once the Democratic party publicity machine and Mainstream Media get through with him. They will characterize him in the public’s minds, before Biggs gets the chance to. Yes, they will do the same to any GOP candidate—but Biggs’ reputation gives them much, much more to work with than Schweikert’s. Schweikert has built a record and public persona that moderate and unaffiliated voters can accept. (That Gallup poll from January reported that today’s independent voters lean more Democrat than Republican).
The Others may be unhappy with Democrats, but they’re unhappy with Republicans too. They’re especially unhappy with strident partisans of any kind. Biggs’ image is that of a strong partisan. Google’s AI tool describes him as “one of the furthest right members of the House” of Representatives, a “firm, hardline conservative and staunch ally of Donald Trump.” The Freedom Caucus, which Biggs chaired from 2019 to 2021, is, according to Wikipedia, “generally considered to be the most conservative bloc within the” House.
Turnout matters more to Republicans than Democrats. Democrat voters are motivated and disciplined. The Democratic Party has a well-funded, effective turnout machine. They will get their registered voters to the polls. Most Republicans will vote, too. The scales will tip, therefore, based on what the Others do. Will they vote at all? If so, who will they vote for? The candidate that can attract the most Others in November will win.
If you want to use your vote to “Speak Truth To Power” in November, then Andy Biggs is a great choice. If you want to actually win the governor’s seat, David Schweikert gives the Arizona GOP the best chance to do that. As legendary Los Angeles/Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders owner Al Davis said, just win, baby. It may feel good to “own the libs,” but defeating them in November would feel much better.
Don Smith is a federal government contractor and retired Army Reserve officer. He lives in Tucson, and spent the last 20 years working on Fort Huachuca.
For the sake of this discussion, I’ll stipulate that David Schweikert is a dirty stinking RINO.
80+ years ago, FDR and Winston Churchill knew that Joseph Stalin was a bloodthirsty Commie. Yet FDR and Churchill still partnered with him, because they all had bigger problems to deal with at the time.
If Andy Biggs is the nominee, Katie Hobbs will refuse to debate him and the Arizona MSM (especially Arizona PBS) will cover for her. Yes, the MSM will scold her in opinion pieces and editorials that Hobbs will ignore. Hobbs will stay underground, and enough disciplined Democrats and Others who are scared batty about “MAGA!!!” will vote for her, and she’ll win reelection.
Now, Hobbs can try to dodge Schweikert, but I highly doubt the Arizona MSM will be eager to openly prostitute themselves, and justify Hobbs’ dodging by labeling Schweikert as a MAGA extremist. That story won’t sell, and the Arizona MSM knows it. The Arizona MSM will come off looking stupid, and no one wants to be made to look stupid. I highly doubt the Arizona MSM will sacrifice whatever credibility it has left, and falls on its sword to cover for Katie Hobbs when she tries to dodge David Schweikert. Who will use her for dental floss in a debate.
The big ‘IF’, If we the people, prevent the thieves from stealing this midterm election, Biggs would win… hold my nose and vote RINO Schweikert? This is a tough won.
Well, Carlyn, think of it this way. Republicans can nominate a candidate that will win in November, with the electorate that Arizona actually does have, and actually will vote. Or, they can nominate a candidate that makes them feel good, fights…and loses.
There aren’t enough MAGA voters in Arizona to win statewide.
Schweikert is borderline RINO. Weak he has no spine. He never stood up for through Covid, the rigged elections, J6, the invasion at the border, etc. Sure, he votes mostly conservative but he is no fighter.
The marxist democrat machine is fighting every day, they will eat Schweikert alive.
We need a fighter, vote Biggs.
The “Marxist Democrat” machine will find it a lot easier to eat Biggs than Schweikert. Biggs gives them much, much more to work with.
What good is it to nominate a True Conservative who will then go on to lose in the general election? Do Republicans want to win the governorship, or “Speak Truth To Power!!!!” As for me, I’d like to win the governorship.
This is the truth. Wake up people. Biggs is set to steamroll through the primary, but almost surely would lose in the general elections. I prefer Biggs but I will vote for Schweikert because he has a great conservative record in Washington where he wrote tax laws on Ways and Means Committee and has the better chance of being Governor.