Arizona Dems launch ‘Copper State Victory’ campaign targeting Republicans who supported Medicaid cuts

The coordinated campaign seeks to challenge Republican lawmakers, particularly those who supported President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which will strip health care from thousands of Arizonans.

Arizona Democrats on Thursday held a press conference to launch Copper State Victory, a coordinated campaign to support the reelection of prominent Arizona Democrats in 2026, including Gov. Katie Hobbs, Attorney General Kris Mayes, and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and to boost downballot candidates.

It marks the beginning of what will be a competitive midterm season, with Democrats seeking to take back control of the Republican-led US House. 

The group slammed US Rep. Andy Biggs and Karrin Taylor Robson, two Republicans vying to be the state’s next governor, for supporting President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

The Republican spending bill, which passed in July, includes the steepest cuts to Medicaid (also known as AHCCCS in Arizona) in history, as well as cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps.

“When this bill was being debated in Congress, Andy Biggs, and Karrin Taylor Robson were not thinking about the people of Arizona,” said House Democratic Leader Oscar De Los Santos. “They were too busy trying to outdo each other—competing over who could strip more healthcare away from Arizonans. That is not leadership. That’s cowardice.”

In July, Biggs voted in favor of the Republican budget which is expected to throw over 365,000 Arizonans off their healthcare and jeopardize food assistance for some of the nearly one million Arizonans who rely on SNAP. The law also threatens to shutter five rural hospitals in Arizona, including Page Hospital in Page and Winslow Memorial Hospital in Winslow.

Biggs later doubled down in support of the bill, arguing the massive cuts wouldn’t have been possible without the work of the Freedom Caucus, a far-right bloc within Congress that Biggs is a part of.

Robson, an attorney and businessperson making her second bid for the governorship, has also been a vocal supporter of the bill. In July, Robson slammed Biggs’ for his lack of enthusiasm for President Trump’s agenda, and has vowed to be a pro-Trump governor if elected.

Upon its passage, Robson celebrated the “landmark” bill and vowed to continue the work of President Trump if elected governor.

In April, a poll by Pulse Decision Science, a survey researching group, showed Biggs with a strong lead, polling at 45% to Robson’s 16%.

Both candidates have earned the president’s endorsement and will compete for the Republican Party nomination on Aug. 4, 2026.

Arizona was once a Republican stronghold until Joe Biden’s 2020 victory, when the former president won the state by just over 10,000 votes. Since then, Arizona’s political landscape has remained solidly purple, with the state electing Democratic governor Katie Hobbs in 2022, re-electing Donald Trump in 2024, and rejecting Trump’s endorsed Senate pick, Kari Lake, that same year.

With the upcoming midterms, the fight for party control of Congress could go in either direction.

Democrats have vowed to make Republicans’ cuts to Medicaid and SNAP central to their midterm messaging. The Copper State Victory group has already done so, with their first signs reading, “Care, not cuts.”

Dr. Vishal Verma, an Arizona physician, warned Arizonans against voting for candidates who vote against the healthcare interests of Arizonans.

“We need policies that make Arizona healthy, not sick,” Verma said. “We need lawmakers who will help us save Medicaid, not dismantle it. So today, I ask you to support those who support patients, physicians, and hospitals. Vote to protect health care access to all Arizonans.”

The midterm elections will take place on Nov 3, 2026.