Andy Biggs
Congressman Andy Biggs is an Arizona native and currently serving his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Arizona's Fifth District. He lives in Gilbert with his wife of 40 years, Cindy. They have six children and eight grandchildren.
Congressman Biggs received his bachelor's degree in Asian Studies from Brigham Young University; his M.A. in Political Science from Arizona State University; and his J.D. degree from the University of Arizona. He is a retired attorney, who has been licensed to practice law in Arizona, Washington, and New Mexico.
Before being elected to Congress, Congressman Biggs served in the Arizona Legislature for 14 years – the last four as the Arizona Senate President.
Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Oversight and Reform committees. He is chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, co-chair of the Border Security Caucus, co-chair of the War Powers Caucus, and Chief Regulatory Reform Officer of the Western Caucus.
Congressman Biggs has a lifetime rating of 100% with the Club for Growth, 98% lifetime score with FreedomWorks, 95% lifetime score with Heritage Action, 100% rating in the 116th Congress for National Right to Life, and a 99% career grade from NumbersUSA.
The Arizona Republic named Congressman Biggs as one of its "10 Arizona people you'll want to watch in 2019," arguing that "Biggs makes the public case for the conservative position and often in defense of the Trump administration. He's very good at it. His advocacy tends to be well-reasoned and persuasive, not inflammatory...To keep an eye on what congressional conservatives are thinking and advocating, Biggs is increasingly one to watch."
Episode Transcription
Guiding Growth Conversations with Community Leaders in this podcast will explore the human journey of leaders, their stories of humility, triumph roadblocks and lessons learned. Come join us as we journey together and uncover the questions you've always wanted to know. Yeah, this podcast is brought to you by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce providing resources, connections and belonging for business professionals and rocket space an event and meeting venue in the heart of the East Valley with a full service for person podcast studio. Mhm What a treat we have today Sarah, I absolutely agree.
We are in special company today we are today's guest is Andy Biggs, he's an attorney married to his wife Cindy for 40 years. Father has six Children and grandfather to eight. He served as an electric office for 20 years first as a state representative, then a state senator and from 2012 to 2016 he served as Arizona Senate president. We are honored to have Andy with us today and we're so excited to get into a conversation with you. Thank you. Glad to, glad to have me. Glad to be with you actually.
It's really nice. It's really nice. So we are going to kick things off with what we like to call rapid fire rapid fire round first question phone call or text message, depends on who's calling. Text message is probably the best way favorite super hero. Yeah. Oh gosh. Um uh it was as a kid who's batman. Yes, there you go. I thought you were going to say kate that's okay. Dine in or delivery. Dine in your hobby of choice music. Okay. A day with your best friend or party with everyone, you know, best friend.
What song do you sing on karaoke night? Uh huh. Um, right now I'd probably sit uh saying let's my own worst enemy. Okay. Most annoying sound in the world. Oh, um, can't be a person has to be a sound. Yeah, I was thinking a lot of people making sounds. Yeah. Uh, probably nails on a chalkboard. Really bad. Really bad safari or cruise cruz one day with any person living or not. Who would it be my wife? Okay, last question here, class half full or half empty Right now it's probably half empty, but usually usually it's half full.
Well, we have a goal then by the end of it, we caught him on a good day and thank you to phoenix mesa Gateway airport for their support with nonstop service to 60 plus cities. Gateway airport makes traveling just plain easy visit Gateway airport dot com For more information. All right, well we're glad you're here. What we want to talk about today is just your journey that you've been on, how you've kind of gotten to hear. But really the people that are involved in that. So take us back, take us back to the beginning, your, your younger years when you started your education and things like that.
Where were those influences on you to get you through those times in your life? Well I had a good church leader who was an attorney and I, I thought maybe maybe be an attorney. I really wanted to be a rock star is what what I wanted to be. You can still be that, you know. Oh yeah, I mean, I mean if Mick, Jagger 78 right? I mean he's out there, but, but I thought if I'm going to have to really work, um, I would like to kind of be like that guy, you can help people and you can make a decent living in that type of thing.
Okay, okay. And so then did you have, he was your influence in that kind of got you into that space? Well, well when the end came it was uh yeah, yeah, he was the guy. I mean I looked up to him a lot but, but let's be honest my major was asian studies and I knew that I had three choices. Well four choices. I could go out and work where I could get a PhD in Japanese which speak or give it a law school or get an NBA. Okay.
I did by far the best on the l set. I thought of this guy, what an influence he had been in my life as a, as a kid and I said, I think I'm going to be a lawyer. Gonna go that route. Okay, so you served a church mission in Japan and something people may not know is that you are fluent in japanese. Uh, I was pretty, pretty good. Pretty fluent. I don't know that any, any outsiders ever fluent in japanese, but it's pretty good. And, and now it takes, It takes a good week or two in the country to get it back, share with us something else.
What are other assumptions about you? That, that maybe people get right and what are some things that maybe they get wrong and I think people think I'm a compassion lys, heartless kind of guy and I'm a, that's just not true. I'm a sympathetic crier. If you put bam beyond, I'll probably cry with you at the end and the other is um, I really don't like the limelight. I would really prefer just sitting at home playing guitar, keyboards or reading, be with my family, that type of thing.
How can you get to play in that band that you talk about here? You can do that much. Not near enough. We uh, we put a show on pre covid, we did a couple shows a year and so we would, everybody has to practice on your own. And then we, because we're all coming from around the country and we get in there and just ram and cram and jam for about 3. 5, uh evenings and then put the show on and it is a, it's a blast. It's just so fun.
Well good. Um, because I'm looking for a fundraiser for the chamber. I know who we're looking for entertainment. That's awesome. That'll be fun, That would be fun. Some misperceptions, she was kind of hitting on that. What are some of the things that people have like, other than that we just talked about, what other things that people kind of have about you, that they don't know that is the real Andy well, I mean I'm a much more um comfortable just just being with one on one people. I mean I enjoy being with people in a big setting.
I mean that's really fun, but part of my job is to get out and meet people one on one and that is just, that's the best. That really is the best, would you say that's what keeps you fighting the fight and going each day sometimes depends on who those individuals are getting the opportunity to meet. But I'm trying to do what you think is right? And having conversations with regular people who are telling you what's going on their lives, that, that really keeps you in the game.
So as you're going back again to the history of schools and your journey there, who when you were going to law school, what was that journey like for you? Like, I know it changes everybody's really, it changes your whole life outlook when you go through that journey of school because you're learning more than just education, right? You're learning how to live life, what was yours like? Well, so I was um I got things backward, you know, so undergraduate, So a lot of, a lot of kids in my faith, they go up to BYU find their spouse and get married and then go on.
We we got married before I went up to BYU. And so and then we when we were in law school we had um a child and so my law school experience was different than most of my my compatriots. I mean there were there was a group of us that were married and and some haven had kids as well and we kind of got to know each other pretty well, but I would go in and you know go to go to class and then I worked as well, but then I would as soon as I could I would go home so I could take care of of our child, changed the diaper, change the diapers, oh yeah and my and my wife would then she was working as a dental assistant, she was working for a dentist who did a lot of evening work.
So which was perfect for us because I would be studying taking care of our son while she was at uh at the dentist, you have six Children, six kids, yeah. How many boys. How many girls? Uh Two boys? Four girls. And you're pretty good at hair then. Huh? No someone said to me the other day, you know, I want to say your wife really did a great job raising the kids. She did. Yeah, no, I, you, you would get one point, I could probably do a ponytail, but that would be it.
Well maybe you should have competition. He has nine Children, wow. Holy six girls. So I'm actually doing pretty good hair, wow, that french break down pretty well now there's no, there's no way you could do the french braid. I have the older girls do the french braid on the younger girls. So be it. So talking about your Children then, as far as that life of school and growing up with them, how were you able to keep in touch influencing them in your lives as you had all this busy going on in your life with, with work. Right. Yeah.
So I think we probably had all six kids at some point while I was working and I would um um, I was working probably 60 80 hours a week. And so what we do is I made sure that there was a, we had a date night every week with one kid or the other. So every kid once a month would get a date night and it was, it was real simple. I mean we would go to talk, you know, Taco Bell or Jack in the box, you know, something like that.
It really didn't matter what it was, it was just the time, Right? That's right. Yeah, so a lot of fun. And then, and then as things kind of as I got older, I was able to coach some of my younger girls. But when my oldest son was, he was a wrestler and we, we would go on weekends all over the state and he'd be wrestling installed wrestling tournaments. Oh, that's right. It was a lot of fun, you know, that's how, that's how we managed to stay close together and then you always have to be able to take a little trip at least once a year as a family vacation.
So what about the wife, we were able to keep a date night with her date night, date night, every friday night. There you go. And when we were poor, it was slim pickings. But man, I remember looking for the coupon for that two steak dinners for 7 95 shoe leather deluxe. I can tell you that. It was, it was good sometimes just to walk around the park is all you need to get the air. That's right, that's right, that's right. So then you're practicing law and something inspires you To run for office.
So yeah, ran in 2002. I would like you to go back for a minute you win the election. What is your first day in office like? So my first day in office when we go, we get sworn in, it's just everybody's there, the houses there, the sentence, their spouses, their, their parents are, their kids are upstairs in your office, my parents are upstairs in the office, you have every member, the Supreme Court, state Supreme Court, you have um you know the Secretary of State and all of those folks, you've got, who else you got.
Yeah, I mean, just everybody that's there in state government and the governor gets up and um it was Janet napolitano and she gave basically because I think she got was she an already, I can't remember, but she gave her address, you know, and it is it is just a cacophony of confusion and it's it's a lot of fun, it gets hot because everybody's there and you're crammed in and then when it's over it's like what happened, you know what just happened, what just happened and and the the old thing the old saying goes is is you say to yourself, you're looking around, you're saying how in the world did I get here and then about three weeks later you're saying how in the world that these folks get here?
So that's that's kind of way that works. Yeah, but what was it that got? I mean obviously election, but what what sparked you want to do that? Well, so so if you want to go back in the history just a little bit, my my my parents have been grassroots activists. My wife's parents been grassroots activists and my car would be parked along the side of the house and because there was no place for in the garage or anything and to be on the street. And so every time my mom would engage, what would happen is my car would get vandalized.
I mean swear words on the side and broken out windows, stolen batteries, all whatever, you know. And so when my wife and I decided to get married, I said, well, we could never ever get involved in politics, just not gonna do it because politics is just so ugly, it's vicious and, and we just don't wanna, I don't wanna have any part of that. And I thought she agreed. She says, now that she doesn't remember ever agreeing to that. I thought she did. And then, um, and then I go, then we finished undergrad law school, go to work.
And um, we moved into Gilbert 1986 and about a month or two after we're in, there's a guy who lives the next street over, he calls me up one night says, hey, you want to go to, it was then it was legislative district 30 says when you go to this, this meeting and I said, well, you know, not really. And he said, no, come on, it'll be fun. So we went and it was, it was a kick in the pants because what happened is it was a very, it was the biggest district in the state at the time, it was very divided.
So one half would sit over here and the other half across the aisle and then they would take turns very orderly getting up and tell the other half what was wrong. Yeah. What they thought it was back and forth. And we said, oh, this is this is good. There was no reality tv on the time. If you if you recall this, is that how long ago that was. And so so he called me a few weeks later. Hey, you want to go again? Sure, we'll go before you know it.
We were involved. and then by the time 2002 comes around, we'd both been this guy and I have been very involved. And and uh, there was redistricting and so our state representative had been redistricted out and everybody thought she would just move in to the new district. And she she called me and said I'm not going to move in, would you run? And so, you know, we thought about it, prayed about it and said, well let's give it a whirl and see what happens there you are. Yeah, that's how we got there.
That's interesting. Yeah. Luck would have it, Or bad luck or good luck. I don't know what you'd call it. So how did you get your wife involved in that then? How did you get her approval? Because you said she doesn't remember either way, but that's a big decision. Do you have to as a family come to that conclusion, right? Yeah. She's always been in on politics stuff. I mean, even while I was doing, doing my running around. So I I've been, I was doing international law at the time.
She, you know, she just followed politics very interested. And when I said, you know, I've been asking, she's I think you should. I really think you should. And I said really, okay, well, well think about it. And sure enough shows she's been incredibly supportive the entire time. So you served the state for many years and then you take a run for us Senate. How does that come about? Well, so, so what happened there is, I'll just tell you the story. So I had a daughter working for congressman Sam and matt Salmon and I had known matt Salmon for a lot of time, Long time.
In fact, we didn't know how long we had known each other actually because we had met as young men dating twin sisters whom we didn't know each other. We, I didn't know who he was, he didn't know who I was and what we found this out much later anyway, so what happened is he calls up one friday night while we're on date night and I said, uh I better take this cost from from that. And so he says, hey, can you come see me? And I said sure.
And he said, and the next morning, he says, I'm going to be retiring. Look, every morning, the president and his team kicked me in the teeth every afternoon, our own leadership kicks me in the, in the teeth. And every night I have to sleep on a blow up mattress in my, in my office. And then he leans forward. He says, I'd like you to run to take my place. I said, you put it that way. So you're a salesman. And so so I I really struggled with that because I had, you know, I had developed, I decided it was getting near the end of being in the state and it was, we had other things that we were looking for as a family and me.
And so it's very difficult decision to make. And then, um, we felt that, that I should run at at some point, um, not too long after that and maybe maybe five or six days after that. After a lot of thought in english. And, and so that's how we got there. That's how we started running. That's how my wife and I jumped in together. I'm really curious about that process. What you just mentioned in that we came to the conclusion. What is going through your mind? What are the, what are the scales of measures you're going to that to decide that you would do it or not do it because my mind's thinking, what, what's the way to that?
What's that like? Sure, sure. We thought of it. So our decision making processes. First of all, I went home actually physically sick that he had asked me to do this and I'm thinking, oh my gosh, you know, uh to be honest with you, I told my wife, well I'll serve one more term in the state Senate, then we'll build the pool in the backyard. I like to write books. I'm going to continue to write books that nobody buys. But I'm going to write these books and and and do that.
That's what I'll do. And so I'm like, wow, man, what are we going to do? So we both start, well, this this would be good if we did it. This would be bad if we did, this would be good if we stuck with our original plan. This would be bad. And so you go through that we pray a whole lot and we actually talk to the kids and said, you know, it's going to affect you guys, you know, we want your input and so they all they all gave input.
Yeah, that's where we're gonna go next, is how does this impact your family, like from the first run to the second round? I mean, that that changes the lens for everybody. Right? Yeah. So, right. The state being in the state legislature, it's a part time legislature and I was the president. So my goal was to get us out as quick as possible every year and we did and then I would have the rest of the year and I would I would work down there just two days a week and then I would do other projects and, and so the family was not really overly affected by that too much, but we knew that the campaign is just unbelievable, is the hardest thing I ever did was campaign.
So we needed to talk to the kids now. I had a daughter who who was not grown yet, so she was still in high school and then another daughter that was just leaving high school, I guess. That's not right. Maybe, maybe she was already her first year in college trying to bend that back because she had done her college out of state. So anyway, six kids, Yeah, that's right. Yeah, I know where they all went. I know their birthdays, like you remember their names, but so they were great.
I mean they all said, look, we think you should do it. And um I happened to have, I had a number of kids, you know that we're working back east, a couple of kids going to school back east and then I had some other kids out here and so they were grown mostly and so it was really easy for for them to say, well, you know, that's great, we'll continue to live in our lives and we'll do all we can to help. And so they said they jumped in wherever they could, okay, that makes sense.
So they are mostly dispersed already around their own things And so okay because I can only imagine if they were all home how much that would change their lives and your family lives if you were still going through the school motions. Right? Oh yeah if they were I don't know I I know people who have little kids who do this I don't know how you do it because I'm on the road you know in D. C. A lot and I think maybe two or 3 weeks this year I haven't been in at least one flight out of the state and back and there's weekends that you never get home and you're all over the country campaigning or for somebody else or helping somebody else or sometimes you're investigating issues that you have to investigate.
And so it's it's really a it's a family game changer in my opinion. So certainly many of us have a preconceived idea of what it's like to work in Washington and maybe we it's glamour. I'm telling glamour. Very few of us have actually walked in those shoes. What is the reality of that? Well it isn't it is not glamorous. I can tell you that. I mean there's times that you're eating a quick mart convenience. Let's put this way convenience store hot dog that may have been on their six weeks on the on the roller and then and then you're gonna go get the speech and and that hot dog starts affecting you.
Just just, I just, I just want to give you some sense of reality? And so, you know, it's it's it's it's good because you get to try to advocate for the principles you believe in and what you think your constituents, what you've promised your constituents. It's difficult because There's probably never been, there's probably only one other time in American history that you've had the acrimony that we have today and that was in 1860. But the acrimony is pretty debilitating. It really causes a lot of problems. And, but on the, on the other hand, we do make friends with people.
That would be shock. You know, people say, I'm surprised your friend with that person or whatnot. And, But that's, that's good. Um, it's, it's a 24/7 job. It never goes away. I mean, there's no way. I mean if you go on and and my staff would tell you if I go on vacation, which hasn't been for well over two years now. But if I did, we were still in contact all day long and it's very, very different. It never stops. So you're a man of faith. And I know you pull from that.
You've got to because my question here is, where do you find your sanity and all that then? Like where do you find your strength? That's faith, Family? Yeah. Are there any other sources though? As far as mentors or just relationships that you have, that you lean into for those kind of things beyond those two. Yeah, I mean, I mean you got good friends. I mean my guys that I ran in Arizona with for years, I'm really good friends. Eddie Eddie Farnsworth and there for sure. Good friends warn Peterson, you know, Travis and you know, so all of those people that we associated with really good friends and then then people I went to law school with and stuff that we still contact, stay in contact with and you know, family is the most important thing though really is it sounds like it's most like most businesses you kind of commiserate with those that are in the same field with you because they all understand the same weights there under the right.
Yeah, So I mean, so I'm in the, okay, I wasn't gonna mention anything but I'm in the Freedom Caucus and that it really is helpful because for the most part, although we have very strong and passionate feelings and we disagree at time and we, it's like a Donnybrook, but we're really close. Well, I'm glad you brought it up because I wanted to talk a little bit about Freedom Caucus and just a better understanding of what the purposes behind the leadership in that. Okay, so the leadership in that.
So let me tell you why Freedom Caucus came together. There was this feeling that that sometimes the leadership of our our conference with Republican conference that they did not really stick to what we promised we would do. So these guys got together and they formulated, formed the Freedom Caucus. And the theme is we will give voice to the people who feel otherwise voiceless in Washington D. C. So that that's it. That's a lot of people. Well, it's almost everybody I know that. And and of course we keep it consistent with, you know, the principles and values we have.
I mean, there are people on the other side, they don't have that have a different view of the world. But we also believe that if you make promises, you just try to keep those promises and that's really what we try to do and remind each other that we made this promise here. We need to keep that promise. I look, I know you have six kids and eight grandkids and I have conversations every day. I have two kids as well. And I just I look at our kids and I don't know what to tell them right now.
What do you tell your grandkids? I tell them a whole lot of things actually, but I try to keep them focused on, I think eternal principles, not you know, not transitory ephemeral things, I guess. Yeah. So looking forward now, what does the next 5, 10 years look like for you when you think about the future? Where does life take you next? You have any ideas, any aspirations? Well, no aspirations other than to maybe get re elected one more time. At least its continuing the journey. Yeah. You have to keep fighting the fight and try.
And I I do think that that you know, I do tell my kids this too. We're at an existential crossroads in the country. We need to determine what we, what it is we believe in and find out what it recall what has worked so well for us and and that's where we're going to be. So don't bury the lead. I appreciate this as a journalism major. I can appreciate that. What does that mean to you? Say what's most important first And then you can go ahead and make your argument about it.
And so, so you must have been talking to kate because I tell my staff all the time. Don't bury the lead you. And they will draft a letter. I said we need to a letter about such and such. Listen the letter and you'll read it and there's all these great arguments and then at the bottom, so we ask you to please do this. No, no. Right at the top. Please do this. Well, you know the action items at top most important. And you bring up kate. Yeah.
My Chief of Staff who's sitting here and Cindy signals to me like cut it. Ixnay on that. I haven't seen any of those things are you talking about? But it's a good example kate is someone that I do get to work with through the chamber? And some of the work that we do? And you are surrounded by an exceptional team who help you to further your goals in Washington. 100%. Um, we've got, oh, she wants me to roll on now. This is this is the one she's saying expand, expand now.
We really do have a great team both here and there. We've got the district office that deals with constituent issues. And then we've got the policy shop in D. C. And the com shot in D. C. And the reason I think I became HFC chairman is because the basically I forgot to step back when they asked for volunteers, you know, step forward. But the reality is I have a team. That is an incredible breath. Yeah, incredible breath. Why? It's, you know, a bandwidth and they'll tell you I'm interested in everything. Everything.
Okay, so my last question for you then is this hallelujah don't bury leave. Okay. What advice then giving people action? What advice you have for those that are looking to get into this business that you're in? I think you need to be humble and get active. I mean, I talked to a lot of people who say to me out of the blue and they'll say, hey, I'm thinking about running for Congress? Okay, great. And what have you done? Have you been involved in the community? Who do you know, what have you done to make your community better. Why?
Why do you want to start in Congress? Have you thought about just being involved around and volunteering and learning the ropes? A lot of people, I think it's because they think it's easy. They think it's prestigious. They think it's they can make a difference. I'm not, I'm not going to say they don't think they can make a difference. I mean, but I just think sometimes that we get it if you want to get involved and you and you want to get involved in politics, you need to start studying the issues.
What I mean? I always want to say, well, what do you know about? I don't know the federal budget. What do you know about the border issues or what do you think our top three issues are right now and come to understand what those issues are. So if you think those are your top three issues, make sure that nobody knows more about those than you. So, okay, so lots of education, right? Read up, learn, right? Well, it is always an honor to have a minute of your time.
Thank you for spending it with us today and thank you allowing the opportunity, you've cheered my day up and I'm looking at it as a half full day mission. There you go. There you go. See how long it lasts. But we tried to the first phone call out here. We're honored. you're here. Thank you for being with us. Thank you on the show. Thanks for what you do in the community appreciate it very much. So if you want more information shows like this, you've got to subscribe to our show so you can get in there, get in the know and be alerted when these things happen. Yes.
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