Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D) has fired the first direct salvo in the general election, releasing a negative television ad targeting her Republican opponent, Representative Andy Biggs, just hours after he secured the GOP nomination on Tuesday.
The 30-second spot, titled “No Clue,” hammers Biggs over his economic record and his co-sponsorship of the FairTax Act of 2025, a bill that would abolish the IRS and replace federal income and payroll taxes with a 23% national sales tax. The ad warns that such a tax would raise prices on gas, groceries, and rent, branding it a “Biggs tax” that would hit family budgets hard.
“Inflation rose 4.2 percent over the past year,” a news clip in the ad states, before cutting to Biggs saying, “No inflation, and yet the tariffs seem to be working.” The narrator then retorts, “More like, no clue,” and details the proposed sales tax impact.
Biggs, the former chair of the House Freedom Caucus, defeated Representative David Schweikert in the primary with endorsements from President Trump and the late activist Charlie Kirk. He has defended Trump’s tariff policies, arguing in an April 2025 column that inflation and commodity costs were declining. In a July 2025 interview with Breitbart News, Biggs highlighted a rare budget surplus, claiming, “This notion of the economy, where you have no inflation, and yet the tariffs seem to be working, which is blowing the minds of all the economists.” However, that surplus was short-lived—tariff-related refunds later pushed the government back to a $120 billion deficit, according to Reuters.
The ad also references Biggs’ support for the FairTax Act, which has not advanced out of the House Ways and Means Committee. Hobbs campaign spokesman Michael Beyer said in a statement, “Andy Biggs says there’s ‘no inflation,’ then turns around and champions a 23 percent sales tax that would make everyday essentials even more expensive for Arizona families. Andy Biggs’ 23 percent sales tax is 100 percent wrong because Arizona families can’t afford another Washington politician making life more expensive.”
Democrats are leveraging affordability as a key midterm attack line, capitalizing on voter frustrations with the economy. Biggs has attempted to position himself as a bipartisan dealmaker, but his hardline conservative record—including his leadership of the Freedom Caucus and close ties to Trump—remains a central target for Hobbs.
The Cook Political Report rates the Arizona gubernatorial race as “lean Democrat,” suggesting a competitive but favorable environment for Hobbs. The ad marks the beginning of what is expected to be a fierce campaign, with both sides focusing on economic messaging.
For more on the Arizona primary landscape, see our coverage of Biggs’ primary win and the challenge ahead. Additionally, the GOP primary for the state’s other key races saw Senate President Petersen secure the attorney general nod, while election denier Kolodin won the secretary of state primary.
