Maricopa County Republican leaders condemned attack ads Republican Congressman David Schweikert issued against his gubernatorial primary opponent, fellow Congressman Andy Biggs.
Schweikert’s campaign issued mailers this year accusing Biggs of ties to antisemitism and white supremacy.
Specifically, Schweikert notes Biggs’ support for a talk show host named Stew Peters who has called for all Jewish people to be deported and called for a quote “final solution.”
Schweikert also cited Biggs’ endorsement of Texas congressional candidate Brandon Herrera, who said in a podcast that he has a first-edition copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and frequently jokes about Nazis. Herrera also said he does not support fascism.
The executive board of the Maricopa County Republican Committee called Schweikert’s ads “false and lazy.”
In a statement, they described his tactics as “Democrat-style politics” and called on candidates to refocus their attention on beating Democrats — not each other.
“There is no credible evidence that Congressman Andy Biggs holds racist or white supremacist views. These attacks do nothing to illuminate differences in philosophy or execution,” the statement said.
When Gov. Katie Hobbs was the head of the minority party in the state Senate, a staff member named Talonya Adams was fired. She filed suit against the Senate for racial and gender-based discrimination and was awarded $2.75 million by a federal court.
The committee referred to that case in their condemnation of Schweikert’s ads, and so did Biggs.
“We’re pleased to see the Maricopa County Republican Committee agrees that our race should be focused on defeating the weak and ineffective Katie Hobbs, who was strongly criticized for her role in a racial discrimination lawsuit brought by a former Democrat State Senate employee,” Biggs’ campaign spokesman Drew Sexton said in a text.
“This election should not be about launching ridiculous personal smears against fellow Republicans,” Sexton added.
But, Schweikert said he won’t stop calling Biggs out.
“The Maricopa County Republican executive committee is free to condemn us all they want, but it doesn’t change the fact that right is right, and Congressman Schweikert will stand up and call out that kind of behavior from his opponent,” Schweikert’s campaign adviser Chris Baker said in a statement. “He will not back down from doing that.”
Schweikert has a history of aggressive campaigning.
In 2012, Schweikert’s campaign put out mailers against his opponent, Republican incumbent Ben Quayle, which said he “goes both ways.”
Schweikert’s team said the mailers referred to Quayle changing his stance on political issues, but it was also widely interpreted to be an allusion to Quayle’s sexuality.
In 2022, Schweikert faced a lawsuit from GOP challenger Elijah Norton over mailers Schweikert’s campaign sent out with a picture of Norton with his arm around another man and the caption "Elijah Norton Isn't Being Straight With You."
Jonathan Huey, the head of a political action committee opposing Norton, said the mailer’s allegations were not founded in truth and the case was settled for $50,000.
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