Arizona’s GOP Gov. Slams Trump-Backed, Election-Denying Candidate to Replace Him, Declines to Rule Out Trump 2024
Outgoing Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) refused to rule out supporting Donald Trump in 2024 despite the former president’s animosity toward Ducey for not helping him overturn his 2020 loss.
The Republican Governors Association co-chair gave an interview to CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday to discuss Arizona’s gubernatorial race, where Ducey has endorsed Karrin Taylor Robson over Trump-backed Kari Lake. The 2020 election underlies the dynamic between Lake and Ducey, for Lake has enthusiastically parroted Trump’s election lies, while Trump has hated Ducey since he certified President Joe Biden as the victor of the 2020 election in the key state.
Bash asked Ducey about the implications for all of this as she welcomed him to State of the Union, and he started by praising Robson as a “real conservative” while bashing Lake as only pretending to be one.
“Her opponent…bears no resemblance,” Ducey said. “This is all an act. She’s been putting on a show for some time now. And we’ll see if the voters of Arizona buy it.”
Ducey invoked Robson’s insult of “fake” Lake as he said she has been “misleading voters with no evidence” for her election lies. This led to Bash questioning Ducey on whether the Republican Governors Association would back election-deniers like Lake or Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano in their gubernatorial pursuits.
The interview continued with Bash asking Ducey if Trump should be disqualified from public office after the testimony Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers gave to the January 6 Committee. Ducey refused to answer the question directly, but Bash cornered him again and asked “If Donald Trump runs in 2024, will you support him?”
“I think we will have options in the 2024 primary race,” Ducey answered. “I am hopeful we will have options. And I want somebody who can win that general election, because I believe with success in 2022, the general election is the Republican Party’s for the taking.”
Watch above, via CNN.
