In 2002, with Republican RepresentativeEddie Farnsworth redistricted from District 30, Biggs ran in the five-way September 10 Republican primary, placing second with 5,778 votes.[11] Biggs and Farnsworth were unopposed in the general election, where Biggs took the first seat with 31,812 votes and Farnsworth took the second.[12]
In 2004, Biggs and Farnsworth were unopposed in the September 7 Republican primary; Farnsworth placed first and Biggs placed second with 11,202 votes.[13] In the three-way general election, Farnsworth took the first seat and Biggs the second with 51,932 votes, ahead ofLibertarian candidate Wade Reynolds.[14]
In 2006, Biggs and Farnsworth were challenged in the four-way September 12 Republican primary; Farnsworth placed first and Biggs placed second with 7,793 votes.[15] In the three-way general election, Farnsworth took the first seat and Biggs the second with 38,085 votes, ahead of Libertarian candidate Edward Schwebel.[16]
In 2008, with Farnsworth running for Arizona Senate and leaving a House District 22 seat open, Biggs ran in the four-way September 2 Republican primary, placing first with 9,800 votes.[17] Biggs and fellow Republican nomineeLaurin Hendrix won the general election, where Biggs took the first seat with 59,615 votes and Hendrix the second, ahead of Democratic nominee Glenn Ray,[18] who had run for the district's senate seat in 2006.
The then State Senator Biggs at a press conference held by then Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.
In 2010, when Republican SenatorThayer Verschoor ran forState Treasurer of Arizona and left the Senate District 22 seat open, Biggs was unopposed in both the August 24 Republican primary, winning with 25,792 votes,[19] and the November 2 general election, winning with 59,933 votes.[20]
In 2012, redistricted to District 12, and with incumbent Republican SenatorJohn B. Nelson redistricted to District 13, Biggs was unopposed in both the August 28 Republican primary, winning with 19,844 votes,[21] and the November 6 general election, winning with 63,812 votes.[22]
In 2016, Biggs ran for Congress from the 5th District to replace retiring RepresentativeMatt Salmon. He led the field in the four-way Republican primary, finishing nine votes ahead of his nearest opponent, businesswomanChristine Jones. A recanvass boosted Biggs's margin to 16 votes, and an automatic recount confirmed him as the nominee by 27 votes.[23] His primary victory virtually assured him of being the next representative from the district; the 5th and its predecessors have been in Republican hands for all but one term since 1953.[citation needed]
Biggs defeatedDemocratic nominee Talia Fuentes, 64.1% to 35.9%.[24] He was not required to give up his state senate seat under Arizona'sresign-to-run laws, since he was in the last year of what would have been his final term in the chamber.[citation needed]
Biggs voted for theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[27] After the vote, he said the bill would "provide much-needed economic relief" to American citizens and businesses.[28]
On March 4, 2020,Ken Buck and Biggs were the only two representatives to vote against an$8.3 billion emergency aid package meant to help theU.S. respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.[29][30] In a statement, Biggs called the bill "larded-up" and "bloated."[31] Ten days later, he voted against the largerCoronavirus Response Act, which passed the House, 363–40.[32] Biggs helped lead the congressional resistance to federal COVID-19 pandemic aid as one of a handful of lawmakers who publicly opposed all four coronavirus relief packages passed in early 2020. Biggs said "the cure is proving worse than the disease" and asked "how much longer the American people will acquiesce to unconstitutional and crushing government action."[33]
Biggs at a Trump Rally during the 2020 presidential election.
In 2020, Biggs joined RepresentativePaul Gosar in a video claiming there waswidespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. They claimed that Arizona's voting machines were faulty, and Biggs claimed that poll watchers were allowed to participate in vote tabulations inDetroit. They also demanded an audit ofMaricopa County's vote count.[34] Later, Biggs claimed that 10,000 Maricopa County voters were "disenfranchised" without giving evidence.[35]
Biggs also spoke at rallies promoting the "Stop the Steal" election conspiracy movement, and has claimedantifa was behind the January 6, 2021,storming of the U.S. Capitol.[38] He denied that he was involved in planning the event and the riots as alleged byRolling Stone and a video posted by Stop the Steal organizerAli Alexander.[39] In a deposition to the January 6 committee of the House of Representatives, Alexander testified that he spoke in person with Biggs before the events.[40]
On October 7, 2021, Biggs again falsely claimed that "we don't know who won Arizona in the 2020 presidential election."[41]
On January 12, 2021, Biggs called on RepresentativeLiz Cheney to resign from her leadership position in the Republican caucus after she voted in favor ofDonald Trump'ssecond impeachment.[45]
In the aftermath of the events on January 6, Biggs's brothers William and Daniel wrote a letter to the editor ofThe Arizona Republic demanding their brother's removal from office. They wrote that Biggs is "at least partially to blame" for the Capitol storming. They also condemned his refusal to wear a mask in the secure location.[46]
Biggs was one of 12 House Republicans to vote against H.R 1085 to award threeCongressional Gold Medals to theU.S. Capitol Police who protected the Capitol on January 6.[47][48][49] In June 2021, he and 20 other House Republicans voted against a similar resolution.[50]
TheHouse committee investigating the January 6 attack subpoenaed Biggs on May 12, 2022.[51] During the committee hearing on June 21, 2022, Speaker of the Arizona HouseRussell Bowers testified that Biggs called him on the morning of January 6 asking him to sign a letter calling for decertification of the Arizona electors.[52] On June 23, 2022, witnesses confirmed that Biggs had asked for a presidential pardon for his activities related to the certification of the vote.[53][54]
On March 19, 2021, Biggs voted against a House resolution to condemn themilitary coup inMyanmar. The resolution passed, 398–14, with one other member,Paul Gosar, voting present. Biggs called the violence "tragic" but added that "there is suffering everywhere in the world" and the U.S. "can't be the military police for the entire world," saying the resolution was a way to "put our foot in the door in Burma."[57][58][59] The resolution was symbolic and did not call for use of force.[60][61]
In July 2021, Biggs voted against the bipartisan ALLIES Act, which would increase by 8,000 the number ofspecial immigrant visas for Afghan allies of the U.S. military duringits invasion of Afghanistan, while also reducing some application requirements that caused long application backlogs; the bill passed the House, 407–16.[64]
In September 2021, Biggs was among 75 House Republicans to vote against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, which contains a provision that would require women to be drafted.[65][66]
In 2022, Biggs voted against a bill to provide approximately $14 billion to the government of Ukraine.[67][68]
In July 2022, Biggs was one of 18 Republicans to vote against ratifying Sweden's and Finland's applications for NATO membership.[69]
In 2023, Biggs was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Biden to remove U.S. troops fromSyria within 180 days.[70][71]
On March 19, 2024, Biggs voted NAY to House Resolution 149 Condemning the illegal abduction and forcible transfer of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. He was one of nine Republicans to do so.[72]
Biggs ran in the Republican conference election forSpeaker of the House of Representatives againstKevin McCarthy, then theHouse Minority Leader. McCarthy defeated him, 188 votes to 31.[73] In the2023 Speaker election, fellowFreedom Caucus memberPaul Gosar nominated Biggs.[74] He received 10 votes on the first ballot, which, alongside nine votes for other Republican candidates, was enough to necessitate a second ballot.[75] This made the 2023 election the first to take more than one ballot since1923.[76] Biggs was not nominated for the second ballot, and voted forJim Jordan. He did not receive any votes on ballots 2 through 13, but received two votes on the 14th ballot despite not being nominated.
On October 3, 2023, Biggs was one of eight Republicans who votedto remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House; during the debate which preceded the vote, Biggs had criticized McCarthy for allowing the passage of atemporary spending bill which did not include provisions to enhanceborder security.[citation needed]
Biggs opposesfederal preemption of state and local laws regulating agricultural products sold across state lines, including those related toanimal welfare. In March 2024, Biggs was among ten House Republicans who signed a letter to theHouse Committee on Agriculture opposing the inclusion of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act in the 2024farm bill.[87] The EATS Act sought to invalidate certain state laws establishing minimum space requirements for animal products sold within the state, such asCalifornia's Proposition 12. The letter argued that the legislation would underminestates' rights and harm U.S. national security, while increasing the influence of foreign-owned corporations, especially those based in China, over the U.S. agricultural sector.[88]
Biggs opposes aconvention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution, also known as an Article V convention.[89] During his tenure as Arizona Senate president, Biggs blocked a resolution calling for a convention.[90] In 2015, Biggs published a book,The Con of the Con-Con, arguing against a convention.[91]
Biggs rejects thescientific consensus on climate change.[92] Replying to a candidate survey fromThe Arizona Republic, Biggs wrote, "I do not believe climate change is occurring. I do not think that humans have a significant impact on climate. The federal government should stop regulating and stomping on our economy and freedoms in the name of a discredited theory."[93][94][95] He submitted an amendment to the 2018 spending bill that would defund theNational Climate Assessment[95] and urged President Trump to withdraw from theParis Accords.[96] In February 2020, when Republican HouseMinority LeaderKevin McCarthy attempted to make a modest effort to gather the support of concerned young voters via a restrained approach toaddress climate change, Biggs and other hardline denialists objected. Biggs said: "People are like, 'Is this an official rollout? It can't be official. We didn't vote on it'."[97]
Biggs opposes wearing masks to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, encouraging Arizonans not to wear them.[100] In July 2020, he tweeted that people should not trustAnthony Fauci orDeborah Birx.[101] He has called for theWhite House Coronavirus Task Force to be disbanded.[102] During a major outbreak in the summer of 2020 in Arizona, Biggs questioned the hospitalization numbers and called GovernorDoug Ducey's two-month lockdown a result of "hysteria" from "Democratic Leftists."[101] In September 2020, Biggs posted a series of tweets supporting the use ofhydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19.[100]
In 2018, Biggs sponsored a bill "designed to let very sick patients request access to experimental medicines without government oversight," which passed the House, 267–149. Biggs said the bill was "not false hope; it is hope."[103]
In June 2021, Biggs was among 14 House Republicans who voted against passing legislation to establish June 19, orJuneteenth, as a federal holiday.[104]
Biggs has gone on record as opposingnet neutrality, and favoredFCC ChairmanAjit Pai's plan to end it. In a letter to his constituents, Biggs wrote, "we should allow the free market to expand the internet and its services."[107]
On April 8, 2019,The Arizona Republic published anop-ed by Biggs on the initial findings of theMueller investigation.[112] In it, Biggs called the investigation "an illegitimate attack on the executive branch" and wrote that the findings "demonstrate the weakness of the initial premise to investigate Trump, his family and campaign staff." He blamed the investigation on "the media that fueled this bogus attempt to overthrow the will of the American voter." Biggs's op-ed was published well ahead of the release of Mueller's full report on April 18, 2019, and was most likely written in response to a four-page summary of the report by Attorney GeneralWilliam Barr released on March 24. After the publication of the full report, Biggs posted a video on Twitter declaring that there was "no basis for anobstruction [of justice] charge" against Trump, chastising the Democratic party for attempting to "undermine the POTUS."[113]
In 2017, Biggs used his powers as transportation chair and president of the Arizona State Senate to block a bill banningdriving while texting for holders of a learning permit.[114]
In 2022, Biggs was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[118][119]
In April 2023, Biggs was one of four Republican representatives who voted against the proposedLimit, Save, Grow Act, which raised the debt ceiling while at the same time providing for spending cuts, saying that the proposed spending and deficit reductions contained in the bill were insufficient.[120][121]
Districts (1949–present) (3rd district established in 1963) (4th district established in 1973) (5th district established in 1983) (6th district established in 1993) (7th and 8th districts established in 2003) (9th district established in 2013)
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