Andy Biggs opposed online sex trafficking law

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs was one of only 25 lawmakers to vote against a bill cracking down on online sex trafficking.

Biggs is now his state’s Republican candidate for governor. He will face incumbent Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in the general election.

In 2018, Biggs voted against the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act. The bill had two main components: empowering state authorities to pursue cases against websites that facilitate sex trafficking and creating new federal penalties for promoting prostitution online.

The law passed the House and Senate with broad bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Donald Trump. The legislation was also endorsed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Biggs has come under scrutiny for failing to protect sexual abuse victims in the past.

In 2013, when he was leading the Arizona Senate, Biggs blocked an effort to shut down a local police force that was allegedly protecting a religious sect accused of abusing young girls.

Last year, Biggs voted in committee to block the release of Justice Department files related to the investigation of sex predator Jeffrey Epstein. He ultimately voted to release the files when it came up in a floor vote.

Rep. David Schweikert, who ran against Biggs in the Republican primary for governor, criticized Biggs in June for repeatedly “voting against protecting our children from really, really bad actors.”

A Terrance Group poll from July showed Hobbs leading Biggs by four percentage points.