Rep. Andy Biggs || Flickr/Gage Skidmore
By Ronald J. Hansen || Arizona Republic
U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs takes the stage during former President Donald Trump’s rally at Legacy Sports Park in Mesa on Oct. 9, 2022.
Rep. Andy Biggs is reportedly considering challenging for the House Republican leadership post this week. The move would lay bare the deep division with the GOP after the party’s underwhelming results in the midterm elections.
Biggs, R-Ariz., could not be immediately reached for comment about a leadership bid, which was first reported by CNN.
He was involved in Washington and in Arizona in the effort led by former President Donald Trump to set aside the certified results of the 2020 election, culminating in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Republicans could still win control of the U.S. House of Representatives, but their advantage over Democrats in the 435-seat chamber could be by as little as three members.
The current House speaker is Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Race results:Rep. Andy Biggs defeats Democrat Javier Ramos in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has long been viewed as the favorite as House speaker if the Republicans control the chamber.
But the historically weak midterm shift away from Democrats has given new fuel to the long-smoldering battle within the GOP between establishment conservatives and those further to the right.
Biggs is among the most visible members disenchanted with the status quo on Capitol Hill.
He won a fourth term in Congress and formerly headed the House Freedom Caucus, which is regarded as the far-right flank of the GOP. Biggs, the former president of the Arizona state Senate, is among the most conservative members of the U.S. House and has long advocated bold and controversial moves.
He was an early critic of Anthony Fauci and the moves to shut down the economy during the early days of the pandemic and was one of four Republicans to sign on to a bill in 2021 to impeach President Joe Biden after eight months in office.
