Arizona Republicans nominated a slate of 2020 election deniers for the three offices that will oversee the state’s vote in 2028 — a result that turns a set of primaries few were watching into a general election that could matter enormously.
Arizona hasn’t quite drawn the national attention this cycle that states with marquee Senate races have — its primaries were comparatively sleepy. But its general election will be closely watched. Two toss-up House seats give Democrats a real chance at flipping GOP districts, an opportunity sharpened by President Donald Trump’s absence from the top of the ticket.
Democrats are also eager to run up their margins statewide, wary of who might capture the governor’s office and the seats for attorney general and secretary of state — all three pivotal to how future elections in Arizona are run.
What happened in the primaries last night highlights the importance of Arizona to both parties. Here are three key takeaways:
Republican primary voters sided with election deniers
In a trio of important races, 2020 election deniers carried the primary day for Republicans. Rep. Andy Biggs, who won a contested primary for governor against a fellow House member, was among the prominent election deniers on Trump’s side after he lost the 2020 presidential contest.
In the GOP primary for attorney general, state Senate President Warren Petersen advanced. He, too, gave oxygen to Trump’s election falsehoods back in 2020. Downballot in the secretary of state’s race, Alexander Kolodin, a state representative and attorney who was deeply involved in trying to overturn Trump’s loss in Arizona, won the GOP primary. He becomes one of the most prominent election deniers on any statewide general-election ballot in the country this year, and one of the few in a genuinely competitive race.
The high level of election misinformation and baseless conspiracies tied into Arizona makes the three contests potentially critical to how the state administers its 2028 presidential vote.
House Democrats’ campaign-arm pick is struggling in the primary
In another critical race this primary season, the House Democrats’ campaign arm may again find itself on the losing end of a primary it tried to shape. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee touted candidate Marlene Galan-Woods earlier this spring, only for her to struggle against Amish Shah in a race that was too early to call the morning after the primary. Shah lost the general election for this seat in 2024 by less than 4 points to a Republican incumbent. The seat is now open and represents one of Democrats’ better opportunities for a flip in this fall’s midterms.
The DCCC’s potential slip here follows similar developments in key races in Maine and California, where the campaign arm’s picks were turned away by primary voters. Those races spoke of the struggles the party’s establishment brand is having at the moment, while also pointing to Democratic leadership’s lack of understanding of what voters are looking for this political season. A DCCC loss in the Arizona primary would add to that list.
The open question is whether the candidates who beat the committee’s picks can win in November — the difference between a symbolic rebuke and a real House majority.
Not all progressive challenges are succeeding in this cycle
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton faced a long-shot primary challenge from progressive Kai Newkirk in the state’s 4th Congressional District. Despite a string of primary losses by Democratic incumbents in June, Stanton was able to win out in this contest with a level of comfort. Progressives have clearly built momentum and messaging strength this cycle, but the viability of their approach can be district-dependent. Stanton’s district also isn’t a deep-blue bastion; in 2024, he carried it by about 7 points.
Progressives have a harsher challenge waiting in the months ahead. While this has been a successful summer for some candidates in reliably Democratic parts of the country, if their bench of candidates can win primaries in competitive seats — let alone win those contests in the fall — that will say a great deal about the direction and future of the Democratic Party.
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