Trump’s Unpopularity Challenges Arizona GOP Candidate Andy Biggs

President Donald Trump’s unfavorable ratings in Arizona are posing challenges for Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs. Despite Trump’s endorsement, Biggs is trailing behind his Democratic opponent, Governor Katie Hobbs, in the polls ahead of the upcoming November elections.

Biggs, who strongly supports Trump, is facing a difficult race in this key battleground state. According to a survey conducted by Quantus Insights, 55.4% of participants disapprove of Trump, while 43.4% express approval. Although the poll does not directly link Trump’s unpopularity to Biggs’s deficit, Quantus suggests that a national environment where the party’s president is unpopular makes the race more challenging.

Noble Predictive Insights recently released a poll indicating Hobbs’s lead over Biggs has widened. Trump’s declining popularity in Arizona may negatively impact Republican candidates across the ballot. Newsweek has reached out to Biggs, Hobbs, and the White House for comment.

“A national environment where the party’s president is running 12 points underwater can turn a competitive race into an uphill one,” Quantus said.

Biggs secured a decisive win in the Republican primary, garnering approximately 74% of votes on July 21. His campaign highlights Trump’s endorsement as a significant boost. However, Trump’s job approval in Arizona has a net rating of -12.0. Quantus reports strong disapproval at 53.2% against strong approval at 38%.

In a Quantus survey of 780 voters with a margin of error of 4.1%, Hobbs leads Biggs by nearly 6 percentage points, standing at 49.1% to Biggs’s 43.2%. Six percent of voters remain undecided. When focused on those choosing between the two candidates, Hobbs maintains a lead of 53.2% against Biggs’s 46.8%.

Hobbs, who faced no competition for the Democratic nomination, narrowly defeated Kari Lake in the 2022 governor’s race with a vote of 50.3% to 49.6%. Quantus’s findings show that 50% of Arizona’s likely voters believe Hobbs merits reelection, while 47.6% desire a change, and 2.4% are undecided.

Younger voters significantly favor Hobbs, with 80.6% support among 18 to 29-year-olds and 63.3% among those aged 30 to 44. Among voters aged 45 to 64, her support drops to 48%, and those older register at 44%. Urban voters back Hobbs by 56% to 40.4%, but Biggs finds more support in rural areas, leading 47.6% to 32.8%.

Quantus describes the campaign struggle as a showdown between younger versus older, urban versus rural, and college-educated versus working-class voters. Noble’s findings indicate Hobbs leading Biggs 48% to 35%, with 12% undecided, a greater gap than Quantus’s poll.

“A persistent drag on Republican candidates in Arizona tied to national political conditions,” Noble described the situation, noting the volatility among independents and suburban voters in the state’s electorate.