Rep. David Schweikert, an Arizona conservative, formally launched his campaign for governor on Tuesday.
He enters a field that is already dominated by two candidates who have a head start and endorsements from President Donald Trump.
“I’ve grown to believe Washington ... is unsavable,” Schweikert told Axios Phoenix. “I do believe Arizona is savable.”
His distrust in Congress’ ability to be productive comes at a time when the federal government faces a shutdown on Oct. 1.
Meet the crowded GOP lineup
Schweikert, in conversation with Arizona Central, said his state can see real wage growth, despite the state’s wage stagnation, through investments in technology.
The eight-time congressman is known to be a budget hawk. He said he will bring this expertise to the job while safeguarding Arizona’s place as a “conservative idea factory.”
He faces two leading GOP candidates already in the running; businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson and his colleague Rep. Andy Biggs.
The candidacies revealed a clash between the state-operated arm of the Republican Party and an independent but highly influential group in the Grand Canyon State.
Robson, who unsuccessfully ran for the GOP governor’s bid in 2022 in a self-funded campaign, doesn’t mind lending money to her political campaign for governor again. She also has the support of the Arizona GOP.
Biggs enjoys the support of Turning Point Action and Turning Point PAC, conservative groups that helped the Trump-Vance ticket win the 2024 presidential election.
While they share the Trump endorsement, Biggs makes a distinction by mentioning he has the president’s phone number.
Biggs also recently noted in social media posts that he had the support of late political commentator Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on Sept. 10. TPUSA, led by Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, has reported higher levels of engagement with voters in Arizona and nationwide since the murder.
What does Schweikert bring to the table?
Schweikert isn’t a “Trump superfan,” as one reporter phrased it. He exited the House Freedom Caucus in 2022 because he believed it moved away from the ideals of the free market. “I’m a conservative, not a populist,” he told Business Insider last year.
Schweikert argued he would be the better choice, aligning with the speculation offered by political pundits.
In a swing state where there are only about 300,000 more Republican voters than registered Democrats every vote counts.
Schweikert leaned on his winning record in the highly competitive 1st District — which includes parts of Scottsdale and Phoenix — by less than one point in 2022. The outcome in 2024 wasn’t all that better: Schweikert won against his Democratic challenger, Amish Shah, by less than four points.
“Find me someone as conservative as I am who has done as well,” he told Axios. Schweikert expects to attract voters who are “real traditional conservatives” as well as MAGA loyalists.
Prior to announcing his run, Schweikert told a local news outlet that his decision to run wouldn’t be personal against Biggs or Robson.
“People sometimes emotionalize it but it is the business we’ve chosen. Now it is a business where the policy that comes later is crucial to our lives, but you treat everyone with respect,” Schweikert said.
Earlier this month, Schweikert’s consultant Chris Baker told Axios that the congressman was asked to run for governor “by several prominent Arizona Republicans who are concerned about the current field of candidates.”
Schweikert and other congressmen eye governorships
This wouldn’t be the first time Schweikert is considered running for the office of governor. In 2017, when Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., announced he would not seek reelection, Schweikert was reportedly considering running for the open seat. He ultimately denied those rumors but revealed his ambitions for the future.
“I’m not sure I have the burning passion that type of race would take,” he told Business Insider at the time. “From a personality standpoint, I’ve often had a long-term goal of maybe governor just because that seemed to fit me more personality wise.”
As The Arizona Republic reported, in 2016, Schweikert also contemplated running against Sen. John McCain, a Republican who pursued a bid for the White House twice, but decided not to. He doubted he could raise enough money to beat the senior senator and ultimately did not run.
Schweikert and Biggs aren’t the only sitting members of the U.S. House of Representatives running for governor. Among Democrats, New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger are also running this year.
Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson and South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace are a few high-level Republican names vying for governor in their respective states.