With mail-in ballots already circulating and the statewide primary imminent, Arizona voters are staring at long ballots that will set up November’s matchups for governor, attorney general, secretary of state, seats in Congress and dozens of state legislative contests. For the moment, the most combustible and closely watched fights are on the Republican side, where party factions have lined up behind competing visions for the state. Democrats hold most statewide offices today, but a handful of competitive Democratic primaries also carry interest. This roundup focuses on the highest-profile contests that have produced the heat and headlines so far.
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Caricature illustration of multiple statewide contenders arrayed over a stylized Phoenix skyline, used to accompany a roundup of Arizona’s most contested 2026 primary races.
The Republican nomination for governor has largely come to be viewed as a near-formality for Rep. Andy Biggs. Biggs, a former leader of the House Freedom Caucus and a steadfast ally of the party’s hard-right wing, commands early momentum that pollsters have measured as dominant; one recent survey had him at roughly 60 percent support among likely primary voters. He has spent much of his public energy positioning himself to face incumbent Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in the fall rather than engaging aggressively with his GOP challengers. That strategic focus has coincided with early consolidation of support from prominent Trump-aligned groups, and no other contender has yet demonstrated the traction needed to credibly challenge him.
Rep. David Schweikert, who entered the race later, has framed his candidacy around the idea that Biggs’ close ties to the far right would make the party’s nominee unelectable statewide. Such an argument has gained some attention in political circles as national handicapters have shifted the governor’s race toward Democrats — the Cook Political Report altered its assessment to lean Democratic — but Schweikert never mounted a persuasive campaign to convince Republican primary voters he is the safer alternative. The candidacies of business figures Ken Miceli and Scott Neely have not broken through the way their backers had hoped; Neely has seized on opportunities to criticize Biggs’ congressional record, but neither Miceli nor Neely has closed the gap with the frontrunner. Fundraising figures reflect the disparity: at the end of the first quarter of 2026, Biggs reported roughly $1.1 million on hand while Schweikert reported about $86,000.
The contest for attorney general has become, by most measures, the ugliest and least predictable race on the statewide ballot. The GOP primary pits state Senate President Warren Petersen against Rodney Glassman in a campaign that has been marked by bitter back-and-forth and personal attacks. A televised debate between the two deteriorated quickly and publicly, underscoring how little common ground exists between them. Petersen has operated from the posture of a conservative legislative leader: he has backed bans affecting transgender athletes, pushed for mandatory cooperation between state and local authorities and federal immigration enforcement, and supported significant changes to the state’s election laws. Despite that reputation, Petersen does not appear to have the formal endorsements from Donald Trump or Turning Point USA that other conservatives have secured.
Questions about Petersen’s legal experience have been a staple of his opponent’s criticism. Petersen graduated law school in 2020 and was admitted to the Arizona Bar in 2023; he has not prosecuted cases as an attorney, and opponents have accused him of overstating aspects of his legal résumé on campaign materials. Glassman, by contrast, has a longer history of practicing law and a resume that includes time on the Tucson City Council. Glassman’s political biography is unconventional: he once ran for U.S. Senate as a Democrat in 2010, losing to John McCain, and later changed party affiliation in 2015. He has repeatedly sought office since then, including an unsuccessful bid for the Republican attorney general nomination four years ago.
Glassman’s campaign has been notable for substantial self-funding and persistent spending on advertising, a strategy he has used in multiple campaigns. Peterson’s campaign has seized on that self-funding in attacks, and the tone of the race has sharpened beyond standard political disagreement. Allies of Petersen have promoted unproven sexual-assault allegations involving Glassman and Glassman’s brother; both Glassman and his brother have denied those claims. Both campaigns have circulated polls showing themselves in the lead at various moments, but both contests report a large share of undecided voters — a reminder that the ultimate outcome remains uncertain even as the two men trade barbs.
The secretary of state primary presents a clearer ideological contrast between its major contenders, pitting Gina Swoboda against state Representative Alexander Kolodin. Swoboda is a former elections worker and once chaired the Arizona Republican Party. While she is a supporter of former President Trump, she has publicly rejected the more extreme election-conspiracy claims that have animated other elements of the party, instead producing outreach videos during her time as party chair aimed at explaining election procedures to ordinary voters. Swoboda has also signaled a willingness to back limits on the state’s widely criticized school voucher program — a policy stance that puts her at odds with some conservative activists.
Kolodin stands at the opposite end of that internal Republican divide. Backed by the Turning Point wing of the party, he has been an active litigant on election issues and has been censured for his conduct in some legislative contexts. Kolodin is also counted among the most conservative members of the Arizona House and has been an outspoken advocate for sweeping election reforms. Supporters frame those proposals as a response to distrust in the system; critics argue that his approach would make voting more difficult. The secretary of state contest has become a proxy fight over control of how elections are administered and what kinds of changes — if any — the state should pursue.
These statewide GOP primaries matter beyond their immediate winners and losers. Because Democratic officials hold most statewide offices today, the Republican nominating fights will determine the fall ballot lines and the choices Arizona voters face in contests for governor, attorney general and secretary of state. The intensity of the intra-party battles, the personal attacks and the debates over legal and electoral credentials have combined to create an unusually messy primary season. Voters continuing to weigh their options will do so against that backdrop as ballots are returned and election day approaches.
Warren Petersen sparked fresh controversy in June by posting on X that DACA recipients should "be ready to be deported or prosecuted," drawing sharp rebukes from Attorney General Kris Mayes and immigrant advocates concerned for Arizona's roughly 18,000 Dreamers. Petersen later said his comments were mischaracterized, emphasizing that deportation is a federal responsibility. The exchange added to the already bitter tone of the Republican attorney general primary.
Arizona’s partisan primary date was moved up this year: the Secretary of State’s office lists the statewide primary as July 21, 2026 (the date replaced an earlier August 4 listing on some calendars).
On July 10, 2026 the Cook Political Report formally shifted the Arizona governor’s race to “Lean Democratic,” citing Gov. Katie Hobbs’s fundraising and approval edge; Cook noted Hobbs’s campaign and allied groups had already poured millions into advertising and that she held roughly six times the cash on hand that Republican frontrunners reported in April.
Warren Petersen’s campaign has collected several notable endorsements not mentioned above — his campaign materials list endorsements from Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and the Republican Liberty Caucus among others.
Alexander Kolodin has received a formal endorsement from Turning Point Action and, according to recent campaign finance filings, has outraised Gina Swoboda in the most recent reporting periods; the two also met in a televised debate on June 11, 2026.