Compared to recent GOP primary debates, Wednesday’s showdown between gubernatorial candidates Andy Biggs and David Schweikert was downright friendly.
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Barely any mud was slung, save for a late dig by Schweikert about Biggs’ ties to Turning Point USA. Schweikert did not repeat his attacks, made in interviews and in mailers, that Biggs is too cozy with white supremacists. Biggs didn’t utter a negative word about his congressional colleague. Those hoping for high drama were likely disappointed.
And those hoping to hear Biggs, the far-right congressman, slam Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and fellow “leftists” were probably surprised. Biggs leveled some criticisms against the woman he hopes to unseat in November, hitting her over rising housing costs, gas prices, a lack of wage growth and an alleged “pay-to-play” scheme involving a group home provider. But at one point, he also — bizarrely — seemed to cut a campaign ad for Hobbs and some of the state’s other prominent Democrats.
The question was about data centers. With looming negotiations over the Colorado River’s dwindling water supply, the candidates at Wednesday’s debate were asked about thirsty data centers that have poured into Arizona. Many require a massive amount of water that could become increasingly scarce in the state.
Hobbs’ latest budget, negotiated with Republicans in the Arizona Legislature, looks to address that. It placed a three-year moratorium on new sales tax breaks for data center projects, which Democrats and Hobbs have trumpeted as the major budget concession they won from Republicans. Would Biggs have done the same thing?
“Yeah, it is the right move at this time,” Biggs said, adding that “it’s a great idea that the legislature put together. I’m grateful the governor finally signed a budget that had it in it where you put that moratorium.” He added that he’s told data center brokers it’s a policy he’d continue as “you’re not gonna be treated special any longer.”
The subtle attempt to retcon the tax break moratorium as a Republican priority was disingenuous, but what came next from Biggs was especially odd.
Looking perhaps to boost his bipartisan credentials — a stretch for one of the proudest members of the far-right Freedom Caucus in Congress — Biggs then name-dropped other prominent Democrats. He spoke about working with Sen. Mark Kelly to release water from the Flaming Gorge Recreational Area in Utah and talked about how he and Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton secured water funding.
Why the sudden bonhomie between Biggs and Democrats? That might partly reflect the bipartisan agreement between Republicans and Democrats in the state that Arizona needs to be aggressive about addressing water issues. It also might be part of an attempt by Biggs, who is not seen as the most centrist candidate in the race, to woo the bloc of Independent voters who make up a plurality of the electorate.
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At any rate, it was eyebrow-raising. Though perhaps not the most bizarre moment of the debate.
Scott Neely — a business owner with no shot at the nomination, despite his declaration on Wednesday that he will be governor — also took a hard line on data centers. Forget ending tax breaks, though: Neely said he’d demand that every data center build desalination plants “at a cost to them.” Desalination plants are absurdly expensive to build and operate, which is why there are so few of them. During the post-debate press conference, Neely was asked whether this proposal might drive data centers to go elsewhere.
“If they don’t want to come to Arizona, don’t come to Arizona,” he replied.
Other notable moments included:
- Biggs shared his proposal to eliminate the state’s income tax to attract businesses to the state. That prompted an “um, actually” moment from fiscal hawk Schweikert, who noted it would blow a hole in the state’s finances before chastising his fellow candidates for not knowing how to read a budget.
- Neely showed the TV audience his “smashed hand,” which he said he hurt while working to build the border wall. Whether that counts as a prop, which are prohibited in these debates, is unclear.
- Miceli Construction Group CEO Ken Miceli, who remained seated for the entire debate and spoke at a glacial pace, proposed using biometric technology to eliminate suspected voter fraud, which seems at odds with the whole “secret ballot” thing. Later, during the post-debate press scrum, he claimed that AI was being used to make dead people vote, which is really not how any of that works.
At the end of the debate, though, the fangs came out — slightly. In his closing statement, Schweikert claimed Biggs is “wholly owned by Turning Point,” which has “lost election and lost election and lost election; it puts everything in our future at risk.” Though Schweikert didn’t get specific, he was likely referring to the dismal showing of Turning Point-backed candidates in the Salt River Project leadership elections earlier this year. The Arizona GOP has also shot itself in the foot by nominating far-right candidates for statewide office, which is how Democrats wound up in the U.S. Senate and in most prominent positions in the state.
Speaking to the press after the debate, Neely also criticized Turning Point USA’s role in Biggs’ campaign.
“I don’t think it’s right that a nonprofit organization is basically running Andy Biggs’ campaign,” Neely said. “I don’t think it’s right that Tyler Bowyer is basically Andy Biggs’ campaign manager… If Andy Biggs wins the primary, we lose the general election as Republicans.”
During his own scrum, Biggs denied being “bedfellows” with TPUSA, but said the organization was involved with “getting out the vote” and that he knows that the organization is behind him. The organization hosted a debate watch party for Biggs’ campaign, which was attended by his daughter and state senate candidate Mylie Biggs.
But the stiffest attacks came from the least likely source: the sleepy Miceli. As the last candidate to speak, the turtle-like Miceli finally managed to finish a thought by blasting Schweikert for the 11 ethics and campaign violations he was found to have committed in Congress. He also slammed Biggs for his attempt to get Arizona’s electoral votes “thrown out” in the 2020 election, adopting a mainstream election integrity position that not even Schweikert has been bold enough to espouse.
Whether any of this will move the needle, though, remains to be seen. According to mid-May Stealth Analytics polling, Biggs has a 46-point lead over Schweikert in the primary.
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