Rep. Andy Biggs’ wife endorses Rep. Juan Ciscomani's Republican primary challenger

Republican Rep. Andy Biggs’ wife has picked the candidate she wants to represent Arizona’s Tucson-area 6th Congressional District. But it’s not her husband’s colleague, the incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani.

Cindy Biggs has instead endorsed Kathleen Winn, a former conservative talk radio host and activist who is challenging Ciscomani, R-Ariz., from the right in this year's GOP primary race.

Ciscomani is widely seen as facing one of the most competitive reelection races in the coming year. In 2022, he narrowly defeated the Democratic candidate, Kirsten Engel, who is poised to secure the Democratic nomination again. Democrats’ national campaign operations have identified the race as a key battleground in 2024.

Political parties usually make an effort to rally around vulnerable incumbents, steering clear of damaging primary contests and avoiding votes or topics that could be a liability for candidates in tight races.

Instead, the endorsement from Biggs’ wife shows the ideological splintering within Republicans’ increasingly unruly ranks.

Ciscomani, a more centrist member of Congress aligned with the party’s national leadership, and the highly conservative Biggs, a vocal critic of the party establishment, have landed on opposite sides of several bitter disputes within the House’s Republican caucus since Ciscomani took office last year.

Biggs, R-Ariz., was one of the eight GOP representatives who voted with Democrats to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaving the caucus scrambling for weeks to find a replacement. Ciscomani was McCarthy’s ally and protégé. Biggs opposed a bill that raised the debt ceiling; Ciscomani was part of the supermajority that voted the bill through, averting what could have been the U.S.’ first default in history.

Asked how the endorsement came about, Winn mentioned Ciscomani’s recent vote in favor of a bill that would expand tax breaks for businesses and low-income families. Biggs opposed the bill, which was overwhelmingly approved in a bipartisan vote, saying it “expands welfare benefits with virtually no limits” and criticizing Republicans who had voted for it.

“Cindy Biggs and I were in a separate conversation, and she offered to endorse my candidacy,” Winn said.

Winn says she's unaware of Biggs' plans to endorse in the race but noted that he has been disappointed by Ciscomani's voting record.

“I don’t know if he plans to follow suit,” she said. “What I will tell you is that, obviously, they’re married, and have been for a very long time, and I would expect that Cindy didn’t do it without talking to Andy first.”

“Andy and Cindy kind of are in lockstep on their politics, so I’ll let people draw their own conclusions.”

Andy Biggs’ campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Winn’s candidacy is a long shot. She sought the same office in 2022, when Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick held the seat and there was no Republican incumbent. Both Andy and Cindy Biggs endorsed Winn during that primary race. Ciscomani won the primary handily, and Winn came in third.

Now, Ciscomani faces reelection with the advantages of an incumbent, with backing by his party and their robust campaign financing apparatus. At the end of 2023, Ciscomani had upwards of $2 million in cash on hand. Winn had only $7,500 on hand, roughly equal to the amount she has donated to her own campaign.

Winn says she’s known Cindy Biggs for 20 years and has a close relationship with the Biggs’ family. Both women have been involved with the East Valley conservative group Mesa Republican Women and have regularly collaborated on political causes, Winn said.

Cindy Biggs comes from a family tradition of conservative activism. Her mother was the president of an Arizona-based offshoot of the national organization headed by Phyllis Schlafly that opposed the Equal Rights Amendment, which would have explicitly prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex.

Cindy Biggs previously has made endorsements in other races, including for the Arizona Legislature, when her husband has abstained.

Cindy Biggs and Ciscomani’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

Laura Gersony covers national politics for the Arizona Republic. Contact her at lgersony@gannett.com or 480-372-0389.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cindy Biggs endorses Kathleen Winn, running against Juan Ciscomani