FACT CHECK: Andy Biggs Can't Rewrite His Record of Protecting Predators and Failing Arizona Children

In his opening ad, Andy Biggs is already on defense, trying to rewrite his record after spending decades protecting pedophiles and opposing investments in child safety. Here are the facts:

CLAIM #1: “There’s nothing more important than protecting our children and our grandchildren.”

THE TRUTH: As Arizona Senate President, Andy Biggs blocked bipartisan legislation backed by Arizona's Republican attorney general that would have stripped authority from the corrupt Colorado City Marshal's Office, which the U.S. Department of Justice said was used to force underage girls into marriage and sexual abuse.

The Washington Post reported that the bill's Republican sponsor blamed Biggs for preventing it from receiving a vote in the Senate. The Republican sponsor said, "Women and children suffered three years longer than they should have because [Biggs] protected the bad guys."

David Schweikert recently criticized Biggs, saying he "voted against protecting our children from really, really bad actors" and warned that Biggs cannot explain away that record in a general election.

CLAIM #2: “As Senate President, I worked across the aisle to expand funding for child safety.”

THE TRUTH: As Senate President, Andy Biggs repeatedly opposed or reduced funding requests for Arizona's child safety agency during the state's child welfare crisis. He introduced a budget that provided tens of millions of dollars less for the new child protection agency than Gov. Jan Brewer requested, argued there was no proof the Department of Child Safety needed additional funding, and criticized Gov. Brewer and Gov. Doug Ducey for prioritizing more money for child welfare.

He also opposed proposals to increase funding for preventive services for vulnerable children and fought against a proposal to eliminate the waiting list for childcare subsidies, arguing working parents could instead rely on churches, charities, or relatives.

CLAIM #3: “I worked with John McCain.”

THE TRUTH: Andy Biggs refused to condemn an extremist speaker who called for Sen. John McCain to be "hung by the neck until dead" and branded him a traitor at a political event Biggs attended. Asked afterward whether he should have spoken up, Biggs said he "didn't feel it was my place to denounce" the speaker.

Biggs has also spent years cozying up to the most extreme voices in politics, making his attempt to invoke McCain in his campaign a sharp break from his own extremist record.

Copper State Victory spokesperson Nicholas Simões Machado said: 

"Andy Biggs can't erase decades of his own record. The facts are clear: he protected predators instead of vulnerable children, repeatedly opposed investments in child welfare, and even refused to condemn extremists calling for John McCain to be executed. Arizona families deserve the truth—not another election-year reinvention from a desperate politician trying to hide who he's always been."

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