Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs considering Senate run against Democrat Mark Kelly

Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs is mulling a Senate run against newly appointed Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly. 

In a Tuesday interview with Fox News, the three-term congressman said that he had been examining polling data and consulting knowledgeable parties both in Washington, D.C., and in the Copper State to better understand his viability as a potential candidate. 

"This has kind of developed," he explained. "I mean, I was very supportive of Martha McSally in her run. I wanted her to win badly and then when that didn't happen I began to look [into it]."

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Then-Sen. Martha McSally was bested by Kelly, losing the race with a margin of just over 2 percentage points. 

Kelly was sworn in in December after Arizona flipped blue for the first time in decades. 

The pivotal special election -- which garnered national attention due to both the balance of the upper chamber and eventual confirmation of Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett -- wound up being one of the most expensive in history, with Kelly raising $101 million, according to the Federal Elections Committee.

It's a seat that's likely to be closely guarded by Democrats once more come the 2022 primaries. 

Biggs said his initial concern about Kelly was regarding some of the former NASA astronaut's political positions -- which included supporting upholding protections for pre-existing health conditions and stricter gun reform -- though he noted that a lot would be revealed over the next 18 months. 

Regardless, the House Freedom Caucus chairman said his message could relate to Arizonans and that he could be "very successful" in helping the Senate implement the "panoply of things" they do including judicial appointments and foreign policy.

"I think my message would be we want to ... have fewer taxes, we want to have less regulation, we want to make Arizona and the United States a great place to live, and trade, and do business," Biggs said. "We want to control our borders."

Biggs, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, added that a lot of Arizonans really liked Trump-era policies. 

"So, I have not spoken to him directly about this," Biggs said, referring to his interest in the seat. "I think [Trump still] has a lot of supporters in Arizona, for sure. I think his policies are really, really popular in Arizona. So, even some people who may not appreciate his style, for instance, may like his policy."

"They like lower taxes, less regulation, or America First, you know, control the border, pro-life, his success of his foreign policy where you saw the Abraham Accords and you saw some stability going in the [Middle East]," he mused. "And, I think that's extremely popular with Arizonans."

Speaking at Florida's 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump himself announced his and the Republican Party's fight to regain control is "far from being over" and that he might "even decide to beat them for a third time."

Nevertheless, the demographics in the Grand Canyon State have shifted over the past couple of years. 

Maricopa County -- the state's largest county and home to its capital -- was a prime example, with the addition of young voters, transplants, and Hispanic voters which made up about one-third of its 4.7 million residents, according to U.S. census data.

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Some 200,000 new residents had moved into the Grand Canyon State since 2016, The Hill reported in November.

In a piece in The Arizona Republic published Monday, Jessica Taylor -- the Senate editor for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report -- asserted that a candidate like Biggs would misread this new Arizona electorate. 

Biggs, who represents the 5th Congressional District, was notably one of the Republicans who sought to challenge Arizona's presidential electors. 

That said, he denounced the violence during the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol that left five dead and has maintained he was not involved with "Stop the Steal" organizer Ali Alexander.

Biggs, however, said he believed he was fair-minded -- especially in his time serving as Arizona Senate president -- and would go out to talk to voters in the battleground state. 

"Nothing's ever given. Nothing's ever taken for granted. You have to go out and talk to people and then work with them," he said. "And, I'm willing to do that. If I make the decision, I will be willing to do that."

Biggs told Fox News that he recognized that Kelly would likely have more money than him, saying "that's just the way it is." 

The Arizona Republic reported that Biggs had raised $1.7 million in the two-year 2020 election cycle.

"But, I believe that this isn't a question of having the same amount of money because, at some point, it's overkill. But, I think I can have enough to be competitive and get my message out..." he said, thought highlighting once more that this discussion was hypothetical. 

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He said that Republicans are in a great position to come back at that Democrats' radicalized leftist positions "should give any voter cause." 

"Here's the doggone thing. You can get to the general, you've got to win a primary, and I think I could win a primary," Biggs remarked. "But...Mr. Kelly and I would be fighting over very probably that same [wave] of voters. ... And, we can do that and we'll see how that plays out. But, for now I'm just shopping it around..."

No Republicans have officially entered the race yet, though polling obtained by The Hill on Monday reportedly shows Biggs with a sizeable lead in the primary.

A spokesman for Kelly declined to comment.