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.
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