Republican power players in Maricopa County have stepped into the middle of a simmering family feud, formally condemning a campaign mailer that accused U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs of “palling around” with racists and anti-Semites. The move drags a month-old intraparty brawl back into the spotlight just as the Republican primary for governor tightens and both campaigns scramble for momentum.
County GOP Slaps Down Schweikert Mailers
In a written statement, the Maricopa County Republican Committee's Executive Guidance Committee called the mailers out of bounds and urged candidates to get back to arguing about policy instead of character attacks. On April 7, the committee voted 17-12 to issue the rebuke and declared that “False and lazy accusations of racism and white supremacy have no place in a Republican primary,” according to the Maricopa County Republican Committee.
How the GOP Feud Reignited
The dust-up traces back to a flier from the Schweikert campaign that accused Biggs of backing white supremacists and anti-Semites. Earlier leaked audio of Biggs invoking Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee had already drawn scrutiny and added fuel to the controversy. Biggs has denied the accusations and has tried to steer the campaign conversation toward affordability issues and criticism of Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, according to AZFamily.
Polling and What Is at Stake
The Republican field shrank in February when Trump-backed Karrin Taylor Robson suspended her campaign, leaving Biggs and Schweikert as the remaining major GOP contenders, according to AP News. A Noble Predictive Insights poll conducted Feb. 23-26 found Biggs at about 40 percent and Schweikert at 19 percent in the Republican primary, with roughly 41 percent of voters still undecided, a spread that gives Biggs room to absorb negative attacks, per Noble Predictive Insights.
Campaign Reactions
Biggs' campaign thanked county Republicans for stepping in and said the primary should pivot to Gov. Katie Hobbs' record rather than intraparty mudslinging. Schweikert's campaign told AZFamily it plans to keep pressing Biggs on his record as the primary draws closer.
For Phoenix voters and grassroots activists, the episode is a fresh reminder that local party organizations can just as easily cool down a fight as give it new life. Whether the county GOP's public reprimand quiets the attack ads or simply gives them a louder echo will be tested in the run up to the August primary.
