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Ducey trumps Trump's pick for next AZ governor, endorses Robson instead

Gage Skidmore

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has endorsed businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson to be his successor. The Republican governor added his name Thursday to a growing list of mainstream conservatives looking to boost Robson past Donald Trump-endorsed frontrunner Kari Lake.

Robson is a political newcomer. Lake is a former Fox television anchor who's energized the Trump base with combative attacks on journalists, Democrats and Republicans disillusioned with Trump. She is also a staunch election denier.

Regarding his endorsement of Robson, Ducey says “conservatives can trust” her. “Karrin is the real deal — pro-life, pro-gun and pro-wall — and she’ll stand up to Joe Biden and the radical left,” Ducey said in a video announcing his endorsement. “Karrin is a strong, new leader for Arizona.”

In a debate last week, Robson agreed that her plans wouldn’t bring radical change from the Ducey era, while Lake eviscerated Ducey for closing businesses and allowing local mask mandates during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ducey’s endorsement of Robson came on the second day of early voting with ballots set to begin arriving in voters’ mailboxes. In 2020, 90% of Arizona voters cast an early or mail ballot.

On the Democratic side of the gubernatorial race, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs is the frontrunner against Marco Lopez, a former mayor of the border town Nogales.

Hobbs has built a national profile as a staunch defender of the 2020 election in the face of the false claims of fraud by Trump and his allies, including Lake. Hobbs has been weighed down by jury verdicts that found the state Senate discriminated against a Black Democratic staffer when Hobbs was the top Democratic leader.

Arizona was a Republican stronghold for decades, but Democrats made inroads during the Trump presidency due to changing demographics and backlash to the former president.