Arizona Election Results Are In — But the Viral Graphic Gets the Trump Story Backward

A viral graphic claiming that Arizona’s elections were “finally called” and that “even Trump can’t believe the results” is built around a real political development — but its framing is misleading.

The image appears to pair Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs with Republican Rep. David Schweikert and Donald Trump. The actual result was that Andy Biggs defeated Schweikert in the Republican primary for governor, setting up a November general election between Biggs and Hobbs.

And far from being stunned by the outcome, Trump celebrated it.

Biggs defeats Schweikert in Arizona GOP primary

Arizona held its 2026 primary on July 21.

The most closely watched statewide Republican contest was the gubernatorial primary between Reps. Andy Biggs and David Schweikert.

Biggs, a former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and a strong Trump ally, won decisively. The Associated Press called the race shortly after polls closed.

The final certified results put Biggs at about 74%, compared with roughly 14% for Schweikert, with the other Republican candidates far behind.

That means Schweikert's political fate in the gubernatorial contest really was settled: he will not be the Republican nominee for governor.

But that is not the same as saying Arizona's November election has been decided.

Katie Hobbs now faces Andy Biggs

Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs was unopposed in her own primary, so she advanced to the general election.

The November matchup is therefore:

Katie Hobbs, Democrat — incumbent governor
Andy Biggs, Republican — GOP nominee

Reuters described Biggs' victory as one of the major Trump-backed wins of Arizona's primary and said the result set up a November contest between Biggs and Hobbs.

Arizona PBS likewise reported that Biggs defeated Schweikert and would face Hobbs in the general election.

So the viral graphic's use of Hobbs and Schweikert is particularly confusing: Hobbs is the Democrat who will actually appear in the November gubernatorial race, while Schweikert was eliminated in the Republican primary.

Trump wasn't shocked — he celebrated

The most misleading part of the graphic may be its suggestion that Trump was somehow astonished by the results.

The opposite is documented.

Trump had endorsed Biggs, and after the primary he congratulated him, writing that Biggs would be a “GREAT Governor” and urging him to defeat Hobbs in November. Trump also described the Arizona primary as a “BIG NIGHT FOR MAGA IN ARIZONA.”

Reuters similarly characterized the Arizona results as victories for Trump's preferred candidates.

In other words, Biggs winning was exactly the kind of result Trump had been working toward.

Why Schweikert's defeat mattered

The primary represented more than a routine Republican nomination fight.

Biggs and Schweikert offered competing visions for the Arizona GOP. Biggs ran as a hard-line conservative closely aligned with Trump's MAGA movement, while Schweikert argued that Republicans needed a less confrontational approach to win statewide in an increasingly competitive state.

Trump's endorsement gave Biggs a major advantage, and the result demonstrated the continued strength of Trump's influence among Arizona Republican primary voters.

The Washington Post noted that Arizona Republicans chose Trump's preferred candidate despite the state's recent history of rejecting some of the GOP's more controversial statewide nominees.

The November race is not decided

This is the biggest distinction missing from the viral headline.

The primary election has been decided, but the general election has not.

Arizona voters will still choose between Hobbs and Biggs in November. The race is expected to be closely watched because Arizona remains one of the country's most competitive political battlegrounds.

Biggs enters the race with Trump's endorsement and a strong Republican primary victory. Hobbs enters as an incumbent who already survived a close 2022 election against Kari Lake.

The primary therefore established the candidates — it did not determine who will become governor.

What the viral graphic gets right — and wrong

What is accurate:

• Arizona's July 2026 primary produced major results.
• David Schweikert lost the Republican gubernatorial primary.
• Andy Biggs won the GOP nomination.
• Katie Hobbs advanced to the November election.
• Trump's endorsement was an important factor in Biggs' campaign.

What is misleading:

• Trump was not publicly “unable to believe” the result.
• Trump celebrated Biggs' victory.
• Arizona's general election has not been called.
• The primary did not determine who will be governor.
• The graphic's presentation of Hobbs and Schweikert obscures the fact that the actual November matchup is Hobbs vs. Biggs.

Bottom line

There really was a major Arizona election result: Andy Biggs won the Republican nomination for governor and will face Katie Hobbs in November.

But the viral claim that Trump was shocked by the outcome is unsupported. The available record shows almost the reverse — Trump endorsed Biggs, celebrated his victory and called it a big night for MAGA.