On Saturday, Arizona Republicans re-elected President Donald Trump’s pick for AZGOP chair, Gina Swaboda during the Party’s annual statutory meeting.
Swoboda defeated challenger, failed Arizona State Representative candidate Cory McGarr in a 978 to 758 vote.
Swaboda told the crowd she had one job and “that’s to win.” She reminded the state committee members that under her leadership, Republican “won virtually every race that was on the ballot. It was not enough, and we are not done. I’m not sick of winning.”
Congratulations poured in after the vote was announced.
BIG WIN FOR #MAGA: Trump-Endorsed @GinaSwoboda is re-elected as Chair of @AZGOP in a landslide victory.
This is #MAGAZONA! https://t.co/BVz0nT359k
— Dan Coulson (@DanCoulsonAZ) January 25, 2025
Congratulations, Madam @AZGOP Chair! ❤️🇺🇲 @GinaSwoboda pic.twitter.com/KL46rrBA3s
— Cynthia Casaus (@cindycasaus) January 25, 2025
Congratulations @GinaSwoboda on your reelection!
The @AZGOP is in great hands with Chair Swoboda at the helm! https://t.co/AAaMVMDzrO
— Vince Gil (@realVinceGil) January 25, 2025
Swaboda’s win is a loss for AZEZ founder Merissa Hamilton and Turning Point USA, which had sought to take control of the Party.
Hamilton spilled her sour grapes on social media, tweeting, “If it wasn’t clear that the @azgop has returned back to the crummy establishment with a MAGA mask, this post is your sign. PS. How much money is KTR going to drain from the inheritance of her husband’s children this time?”
Hamilton was referring to former failed gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson, who was just recently praised by President Trump and was seen as his choice in the 2026 Republican Primary for governor.
Saturday’s meeting at Dream City Church in Phoenix drew a smaller crowd than previous years according to Party watchers “due to the ugly battle McGarr forces launched.”
“McGarr had a slim chance of beating Swaboda, but unfortunately that didn’t stop his supporters from trying to destroy the Party,” one Republican state committee member told the Arizona Daily Independent. “If they spent that much energy attacking Democrats, we would be in power for the 80 years, but it is all about controlling the money and thanks to President Trump, there is going to be a lot of money to go around and TPUSA appeared to want it bad.”
One thing both camps seemed to agree on was support for Congressman Andy Biggs who announced to loud applause that he was officially running for governor during the event.
Congressman @andybiggs4az takes the stage at the @AZGOP Statutory Meeting announcing his campaign for the #AZGOV race. pic.twitter.com/iWFCcrZQhl
— Kelly Rael (@JesuslovesAZ) January 25, 2025
Early in the week, the popular West Valley Congressman announced that he was considering the job, but polling showed that he was virtually a lock for the Primary win if he decided to run.
While Republicans chose to stay the winning course on Saturday, earlier in the month, the Democratic Party chose to change course. They rejected the current chair, Yolanda Bejarano, opting instead for Robert Branscomb, a small business owner.
According to the Grand Canyon Times, under Swoboda’s leadership, “Trump won Arizona’s 11 electoral votes with 52.2% of the vote, defeating Kamala Harris, who received 46.7%. In the U.S. House of Representatives races, Republicans maintained their six seats, Republicans also increased their majority in the Arizona State Senate to 17 seats. The Democrats now hold just 13 seats. In the Arizona House, Republicans now hold 31 seats to the Democrats 29.”