By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Gov. Katie Hobbs and GOP frontrunner Rep. Andy Biggs are taking shots at each other, jumping to the general campaign before the primary election.
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The Republican primary is still seven weeks away, with Reps. Andy Biggs and David Schweikert both running. Early voting starts in three weeks. Biggs is the favorite, with polling and money showing him out front.
Biggs attacks Hobbs on ethics
Biggs is skipping ahead and going straight to the general election in the fall. This week, he attacked the Democratic governor, laying out his ethics platform that limits contributions governors may accept after they are elected.
It was a shot at Hobbs, who is under criminal investigation by the attorney general. The issue involves an alleged pay-to-play scheme between Hobbs and one of her political donors. A spokesman for the attorney general said the office is working with the governor’s office on a time to bring her in for questioning.
Hobbs campaign fires back
A spokesman for the governor’s campaign said, “This is a sham attempt by Andy Biggs to cover up his long record of corrupt Washington swamp politics that’s ripping off Arizonans.”
A group set up to elect Democrats also ripped Biggs. The Copper State Victory Fund launched a new website called “Meet Basement Biggs.” It accuses the congressman of having ethical problems of his own and dodging questions about them.
Why the early mudslinging
“It is a little early but clearly this shows the importance of this race,” said Wes Gullet, a Republican consultant.
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There could be a couple of reasons. The governor might agree that Biggs will likely be her opponent in the fall. Or the Democratic governor could be trying to stir up trouble for Biggs in his primary.
“The other thing that could be happening is that maybe Hobbs is trying to, maybe she’s trying to run against Schweikert,” Gullet said.
The Biggs campaign said Hobbs is the only basement dweller. They criticized her for refusing to commit to a debate and to defend her record.
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