Abortion Stance Set to Define Arizona Gubernatorial Race
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs is gearing up for her reelection campaign, with abortion rights at the forefront of her platform. Hobbs, who won the governorship in 2022, has consistently advocated for protecting abortion care and intends to continue this focus in her upcoming campaign.
Her likely opponent, Republican Representative Andy Biggs, has a long history of opposing abortion access. Over his two decades in public service, Biggs has consistently voted to restrict abortion rights and has made numerous statements against the procedure. His campaign has received endorsements from anti-abortion groups like Turning Point Action and the Arizona Freedom Caucus.
Biggs’ commitment to his anti-abortion stance is well-documented. In a May 2020 interview, he was moved to tears discussing the issue. “Each person is made in God’s image,” Biggs stated emotionally. “It is a gift from Him. Our obligation then is to protect life, particularly those who cannot protect themselves … That’s my witness and my testimony.”
On social media, Biggs asserted that “life begins in the womb” and emphasized the need for Congress to protect the unborn, ensuring that taxpayer dollars do not fund abortions. His legislative actions have mirrored these beliefs, as he has co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act five times. This proposed legislation would ban all abortions nationwide, threaten access to in vitro fertilization and certain contraceptives, and impose criminal penalties on doctors who perform abortions.
Planned Parenthood has criticized the bill, stating, “Purporting that a fetus has the same rights as a child creates chaos in the law, undermines the rights of pregnant people, and can prevent people from building the families they want.” If enacted, this law would also nullify Arizona’s Proposition 139, which protects abortion rights and was supported by a majority of Arizona voters. Hobbs has been a proponent of the proposition, in contrast to Biggs’ opposition.
Additionally, Biggs has backed Born Alive legislation, which mandates medical care for infants surviving abortions—an extremely rare scenario. Critics argue these bills aim to intimidate abortion providers, as current federal law already requires life-saving care for newborns.
Biggs has accused Democrats of having a “craven desire to kill the unborn and the newly born” due to their opposition to Born Alive bills. His political career, which includes time in the Arizona legislature, has been marked by support for multiple bills imposing a 20-week abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest.
Governor Hobbs has taken steps to counteract restrictive abortion laws. She supported Proposition 139 and signed legislation to repeal Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban, which was enforced after the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Her efforts have earned her the endorsement of Reproductive Freedom for All, which praised her as a “committed champion of reproductive freedom.”
Biggs is set to face off against fellow Republican Representative David Schweikert, who also opposes abortion, in the July 21 primary for the gubernatorial nomination. Recent polling by Noble Predictive Insights indicates Hobbs holds a narrow lead over Biggs in a potential matchup, ahead by four points.
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