Opinion: Biggs had a chance to be a principled conservative voice in Congress. He chose Trumpism instead.
U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona aspires to be a national figure, not just some guy representing the East Valley in Congress.
This week, he released what he labeled the “America First Contract” for the upcoming election, intended to set an agenda for all Republicans running in 2022. It received plaudits from two influential political outfits on the right, FreedomWorks and Club for Growth. So, it’s at least a little more than a vanity exercise for Biggs, who holds no leadership position within the Republican caucus.
The contract is expressly patterned after Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America,” published before Republicans took over the House in the 1994 election. In conservative lore, the contract is credited, probably excessively, with the victory.
In reality, Democrats are desperate to make this election a choice between policy directions and individual candidates rather than a referendum on Joe Biden’s presidency. They would undoubtedly welcome it if Biggs’ agenda gets some traction, as they welcomed a similar attempt by Sen. Rick Scott, who heads up campaign efforts to recapture the Senate, to establish a pre-election GOP agenda.
