(The Center Square) - U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, is framing his campaign for governor around economic affordability, water management and border security, drawing a sharp contrast with the Democratic incumbent, Gov. Katie Hobbs.
In an interview with "The States," The Center Square's daily podcast, Biggs criticized the Hobbs administration’s fiscal and regulatory track record, arguing that Arizona has slipped under the governor’s leadership.
"Under Katie Hobbs, we've gone from being one of the most affordable states to one of the least affordable states," Biggs said, pointing to state rankings in educational attainment.
Biggs told Greg Bishop, host of "The States," that Arizona needs a change in executive leadership to reverse course.
The Center Square reached out to Hobbs and her campaign for comment, but did not get a response by publication time. The Center Square also invited Hobbs to appear on "The States" and is waiting for a response.
During the interview on "The States," Biggs acknowledged Arizona’s competitive overall tax rankings by organizations such as the Tax Foundation but argued that the state should follow national trends toward eliminating the state income tax.
Meanwhile, water management has emerged as a central flashpoint in the gubernatorial contest.
Biggs criticized Hobbs’ handling of negotiations regarding the state's Colorado River water allotment, contending that the administration relies too heavily on conservation alone rather than seeking out new augmentation strategies. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation created a plan that requires Arizona, California and Nevada to make cuts, but no cuts are required of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming.
"We have tremendous stores of underground water that we've been saving for decades," said Biggs, adding that the state must look at extraction, cleaning and distribution infrastructure to support future growth.
In terms of immigration and crime, Hobbs has defended her administration's approach to public safety and law enforcement partnerships. For example, Hobbs released a TV ad in late August to highlight “her record on delivering on border security, supporting law enforcement, and investing in public safety to protect Arizona families and communities.”
Biggs is not buying.
"She's an open borders advocate," Biggs said, pointing to the repeal of previous border barrier initiatives and the defunding of the state's border security strike force. The Republican gubernatorial candidate advocated for close cooperation with federal immigration authorities to ensure public safety.
On the legislative front, Biggs criticized Hobbs’ use of the veto pen — noting a high volume of vetoed bills during her term — while pointing to his own legislative background as evidence of an ability to build bipartisan consensus on key issues like water and rural health care funding. Republicans control a majority in both houses of Arizona's Legislature, but lack enough seats to override the Democratic governor's vetoes.
Biggs, a retired attorney who served in the Arizona House and the Arizona Senate prior to being elected a U.S. representative for the state's 5th Congressional District in 2016, also voiced firm support for preserving Arizona'sright-to-work status.
A right-to-work state is one in which an employee of a unionized operation does not have to pay dues or fees as a condition of employment. While unions can and do exist in Arizona and other right-to work states, people working for those unionized businesses do not have to be members of the union. Nevada and Utah are right-to-work states. California, Colorado and New Mexico are forced unionism states or non-right-to-work states.
Hobbs has framed the election as a choice between stable leadership centered on putting Arizona first and what it characterizes as Washington-style division. Biggs countered that the incumbent has avoided debates and public forums to defend her record, maintaining that Arizona is fundamentally a center-right state ready for a change in direction.
Helena, Mont. — The weather may look sunny now, but snow is projected in the forecast for the weekend. That pushed the City of Helena Street Division to get ready for the first significant snowfall expected this weekend as city crews prepare to keep roads clear and safe.City of Helena Deputy Director of Transportation Chris Couey said crews are on standby in case the weather arrived over the weekend.“We do have people standing by so if we do get weather over the weekend, we’ll have people ready to get in trucks and clear everything out,” said Couey.Couey explained the street division always expects Montana’s first snowfall before Halloween. He said officials started outfitting city vehicles as plow trucks in September.The city has six plow trucks ready to go. During winter, Helena normally has as many as 10 vehicles in operation.If heavy snow fell, the city plans to clear emergency snow routes first. After that, drivers would move into areas such as neighborhoods.Couey said that first priority helps keep key travel routes open.“To make sure services like emergency services and everybody can actually get by and get to where they need to go,” said Couey.Couey said one of the first challenges for both the city and the public is safe driving during the season’s first snowfall. He urges drivers to slow down and use caution on the roads this weekend and early next week.“People have been nice and cruising all summer long. So for sure exercise some caution when you’re on the roads this weekend and early next week,” said Couey.Couey also said the city has new plow truck drivers and asks residents to be patient and avoid crowding the plows.
(The Center Square) – Polling deficit, disapproval of the president, and recent shifts in campaign strategy by super PACs are evolving a dynamic that further favors Democrat Roy Cooper over Republican Michael Whatley in North Carolina’s election for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
(The Center Square) – Republican candidates in several key Minnesota races are raising concerns about immigrant gang activity as the state struggles with a series of shootings linked to Somali youth gangs in the Twin Cities.
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