Republican Mayor Skipped Trump Rally in His City to Campaign Against ‘Dangerous’ Trump-Backed Nominee for Governor

The Republican mayor of Mesa, Arizona, where former President Donald Trump held a rally on Sunday, skipped Trump’s rally in favor of campaigning against the GOP nominee for governor.

Mayor John Giles joined a group of Republicans at a campaign event for Democrat Katie Hobbs. Giles noted during his remarks, “There is a rally in Mesa, Arizona, today, featuring some well-known out-of-town guests. I am not there. I am here. … I am here campaigning for Katie Hobbs.”

“The reason for that is I’m very concerned about the future of our state,” Giles continued before ripping into Trump-backed GOP candidate for governor Kari Lake, who he labeled, “dangerous for Arizona.”

Giles frames the gubernatorial race in his state as “a choice between sanity and chaos.” Giles had previously been censured by the Arizona GOP for endorsing Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) for reelection over his Trump-backed opponent Blake Masters.

The mayor of Arizona’s third-largest city went on to hammer Lake for being “singularly focused on an election that happened two years ago” – referencing Lake’s hardline campaign centered around Trump’s allegations the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Giles warned that a vote for Lake would be a vote for putting “a conspiracy theorist” in charge of the state.

“Those of us who support Secretary Hobbs care very deeply about the future of Arizona,” he said. “And that’s why we are putting our state above our party.”