Rep. David Schweikert joins race for Arizona governor

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — The race for governor in Arizona is starting to shape out.

Arizona’s Family confirmed on Tuesday that Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-01) will run for governor in 2026.

Schweikert has served as the U.S. representative for the Scottsdale area since 2013.

He will join a crowded GOP primary in Arizona’s gubernatorial race. Rep. Andy Biggs and housing developer Karrin Taylor Robson, who are both endorsed by President Donald Trump, have also announced their candidacy for Arizona governor.

Schweikert has been less vocal in his support for the administration but also hasn’t publicly antagonized Trump. His 1st Congressional District, one of the wealthiest in the country, has become increasingly competitive during his nearly 15 years in Congress as many moderately conservative, college-educated voters turned against the GOP since Trump took over the party.

Democrats are eying the seat representing suburban Phoenix as a top pickup target in next year’s midterms.

Though Republicans enjoy a registration advantage in the 1st District, Schweikert only narrowly staved off Democratic challengers. He won reelection in 2022 by less than one percentage point against a relatively unknown Democrat who received minimal support from national Democrats. In 2024, Schweikert defeated emergency room doctor and former state lawmaker Amish Shah by 3.8 percentage points.

Schweikert repeatedly has been dogged by violations of campaign finance laws, for which he was fined in 2020 and 2022.

Schweikert has focused his congressional career on sounding the alarm about the federal budget deficit and the ballooning U.S. debt, often in late-night speeches to a nearly empty House chamber and bleary-eyed C-SPAN viewers. Still, he voted for Trump’s budget bill that is projected to add trillions to the debt over the next decade, a vote that Democrats are criticizing.

Schweikert’s bid for the state’s highest office complicates Republican efforts to hold onto their razor-thin House majority.

It also puts a squeeze on Taylor Robson. She narrowly lost the 2022 GOP primary to Kari Lake — who went on to lose the general election — and has generally been the pick of the same establishment Republicans whose support Schweikert will be chasing. Biggs, who represents a safely Republican district, is the former Freedom Caucus chairman and is seen as a favorite of the party’s hard-right grassroots.

Whoever wins the GOP primary will likely face off against Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has no serious primary challengers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.