Arizona Governor’s Race: Abortion Rights a Central Issue
The upcoming Arizona gubernatorial election is shaping up to be a battleground for abortion rights, with Governor Katie Hobbs and her potential Republican opponent, Rep. Andy Biggs, holding starkly contrasting views on the issue.
Governor Hobbs, who secured her position in 2022 by advocating for abortion rights, is poised to make this issue a focal point of her reelection campaign. During her tenure, she has supported Proposition 139, which affirms abortion rights in Arizona’s constitution, gaining the approval of 61% of the state’s voters.
Hobbs’ legislative actions include signing a bill that repealed Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban, which had been reactivated following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Her efforts have earned her the endorsement of Reproductive Freedom for All. The advocacy group praised her record, stating, “Governor Hobbs has been a committed champion of reproductive freedom her entire career.”
On the opposing side, Rep. Andy Biggs has a long-standing record of opposing abortion access. His campaign is backed by several anti-abortion groups, such as Turning Point Action and the Arizona Freedom Caucus. Biggs has consistently expressed his firm anti-abortion stance, even expressing deep emotion in a 2020 interview, where he stated, “Each person is made in God’s image. It is a gift from Him. Our obligation then is to protect life, particularly those who cannot protect themselves.”
Biggs has actively pursued legislative measures that aim to restrict abortion. He has co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act multiple times in Congress, which seeks to prohibit all abortions, potentially affecting in vitro fertilization and certain birth control methods, and imposing criminal penalties on doctors. Planned Parenthood has criticized the bill, arguing that it could create legal chaos and undermine the rights of pregnant individuals.
Additionally, Biggs has supported the Born Alive legislation, which mandates medical care for infants surviving abortion attempts. Critics argue that such occurrences are extremely rare and that existing federal laws already ensure necessary care for newborns. In 2021, Biggs described Democratic opposition to this legislation as evidence of a “craven desire to kill the unborn and the newly born.”
Before his tenure in Congress, Biggs served in the Arizona legislature, where he backed initiatives to enforce a 20-week abortion ban, some without exceptions for rape or incest.
As the July 21 Republican primary approaches, Biggs will contest against fellow Republican Rep. David Schweikert, another anti-abortion advocate. Meanwhile, a May poll by Noble Predictive Insights suggests that in a potential matchup, Hobbs leads Biggs by four points.
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