GOP Digest — July 20, 2026 | Arizona Votes Tuesday as Senate GOP Weighs SAVE Act Funding Gambit

Good Monday morning. Arizona votes tomorrow, Senate Republicans are gaming out how to force the SAVE America Act through before the midterms, and Maine Democrats spent the weekend watching their Senate field collapse into a coronation. Here's what Republicans need to know today.

Today's Digest

• [PRIMARIES] — Andy Biggs Leads GOP Field as Arizona Votes Tuesday: Arizona Republicans choose a nominee Tuesday to challenge Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, the AP reports, in what it calls a top takeover opportunity for Republicans in a midterm environment that historically punishes the party holding the White House. Five-term Rep. Biggs, a former House Freedom Caucus chair, carries President Donald Trump's endorsement against eight-term Rep. David Schweikert and businessmen Ken Miceli and Scott Neely. About 755,000 ballots had been cast as of Thursday — roughly 347,000 from Republicans and 335,000 from Democrats. Polls close at 7 p.m. local time, with first results after 11 p.m. ET.
• [HOUSE] — Arizona Also Sets Key House Matchups: In the 1st District that Schweikert is vacating — a Scottsdale-area seat Trump carried with about 51% in 2024 — the Republican field features state Rep. Joseph Chaplik, Trump-endorsed former Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely, and tech executive John Trobough. In the battleground 6th District, Rep. Juan Ciscomani seeks a third term and is unopposed in his primary. Both seats are central to holding the House majority.
• [AGENDA] — Senate Conservatives Eye Funding Bill as SAVE America Act Vehicle: Trump allies including incoming Budget Committee Chair Ron Johnson say they are open to attaching the SAVE America Act's proof-of-citizenship and voter-ID requirements to the stopgap measure needed to fund the government past Sept. 30 — forcing Democrats, including top GOP target Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, to vote again on reforms that a March Harvard CAPS/Harris poll showed 81 percent of Americans support on voter ID and 71 percent on the SAVE America Act itself. Sens. Thom Tillis and Jerry Moran are pushing back, warning the play risks a shutdown weeks before the election, and Majority Leader John Thune has repeatedly said the votes aren't there to end the filibuster.
• [DEM WATCH] — Maine Democrats' Senate Field Collapses Into a Coronation: Former Maine CDC director Nirav Shah quit the Democratic Senate primary Sunday night and endorsed former state Sen. Troy Jackson — after Secretary of State Shenna Bellows also dropped out — as Maine Democrats scramble to replace nominee Graham Platner, who withdrew after allegations of rape, abuse and racism. More than 10 Democrats initially filed for the nomination to face Sen. Susan Collins, who is seeking a sixth term in one of the cycle's marquee races.
• [ELECTIONS] — Trump Holds Fire on Beijing After Election-Security Address: Despite last week's primetime claims of Chinese election meddling, the president announced no penalties against Beijing, and the White House says Chinese President Xi Jinping's expected September state visit remains on track; the administration also let a 2020 Hong Kong sanctions package expire Friday. Trump was careful not to accuse China of changing votes or altering any outcome — a 2021 intelligence report found China did not interfere in the 2020 election, though it tried to influence voters — and analysts say the episode is unlikely to derail the trade thaw ahead of the Xi summit.

On the Record

"Putting it on a CR would put Democrats in a tough spot." — Republican strategist Brian Darling, on attaching the SAVE America Act to the government-funding stopgap, via The Hill