Andy Biggs chooses Sine Kerr for running mate, leaning into rural Arizona

Andy Biggs, the GOP nominee for governor, picked former state legislator Sine Kerr as his running mate, announcing on Friday that she was his choice for lieutenant governor.

Kerr, a dairy farmer from Buckeye, was appointed to the Arizona Senate in 2018 to fill a vacancy. She then went on to win three full terms in office; in 2024, she did not seek reelection.

In May 2025, she was appointed by the Trump Administration to serve as the state executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency.

The Biggs campaign touted that Kerr’s mother is a naturalized citizen from Mexico and praised her legislative background.

“She’s worked across the aisle to get things done at the Legislature, from spearheading the successful passage of the 2022 ‘water protection’ bill to her sponsorship of ‘Kayleigh’s Law’, a landmark piece of legislation that protects victims of sex crimes from being harassed or contacted by their abuser,” Biggs said in a written statement announcing her selection.

Arizona voters created the position of lieutenant governor in 2022, and this is the first time gubernatorial nominees are tasked with selecting a running mate who would succeed them if they cannot finish their four-year term.

“Arizona’s rural communities have come under attack from Democrat Katie Hobbs and her allies, prioritizing the demands of ideologues over protecting our state’s agriculture community,” Kerr said in a statement. “Rural Arizona will always have a seat at the table in a Biggs-Kerr Administration and I’m looking forward to rallying rural communities across our state to deliver a win for Andy Biggs in November.”

Like Biggs, Kerr is stridently anti-abortion. In 2021, she pushed legislation that would have banned nearly all abortions in Arizona, even those caused by rape or incest. The so-called “heartbeat” proposal would have criminalized abortions performed if a fetal heartbeat is detected. A heartbeat can often be detected as early as six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant.

Gov. Katie Hobbs, the incumbent Democrat who is seeking reelection, panned Biggs’ pick as out of touch with what Arizona voters want this election.

“All you need to know about Sine Kerr is that she is so extreme she agreed to be the running mate of Andy Biggs — a Washington insider who sided with a corrupt pedophile cult, shielded sex traffickers, covered for Jeffrey Epstein, stood with the powerful and well-connected, and backed policies that raise grocery and gas costs for Arizona families,” said Nicole DeMont, Hobbs’ campaign manager.

Stacy Pearson, a Democratic campaign consultant, said Kerr will face tough questions about her legislative record that will show she — and Biggs — stand at odds with most Arizonans.

“Andy Biggs doubled down on extremism with this pick,” she said.

Republicans were lukewarm about Biggs’ decision to pick Kerr, particularly because she doesn’t help him attract new supporters. Choosing her, said GOP political consultant Barrett Marson, shows that Biggs made his choice with a primary eye toward having a successor who would continue his policy goals instead of bringing new groups of voters into his camp.

“She doesn’t expand the possibility of attracting new constituencies,” Marson said. “It’s a fine pick. But it won’t blow voters away.”

Chuck Coughlin, a veteran lobbyist and political consultant who has worked on multiple Republican gubernatorial campaigns, called Kerr “a curious pick” for lieutenant governor. Biggs had an opportunity to appeal to moderate Republicans and right-of-center independent voters who don’t like Donald Trump, but instead chose a running mate who is cut from the same conservative cloth and works for Trump.

“I don’t think it adds anything to the political constituencies Biggs needs to win a statewide campaign,” he said, adding that Biggs already has strong support in rural Arizona and among the agriculture industry. “I don’t see how this adds electability.”

And it could backfire, Coughlin said: During her time as a state legislator, Kerr was a “substantial impediment” to finding a solution to the state’s growing groundwater crisis. The result is wide swaths of Arizona where there is no regulation on how much water people or companies can pump out of the ground.

With the news Friday that Arizona is facing steep cuts to its Colorado River allotment, water is fast becoming a top priority for voters, and Coughlin said Biggs has now effectively declared that his administration will back policies that maintain the status quo.

Hobbs has until Sept. 4 to pick her running mate. According to The New York Times and others, Hobbs “floated the possibility” of offering the gig to Jimmy McCain, the son of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, and former Republican Mesa Mayor John Giles. Both reportedly declined.