By Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Gary Nelson | The Republic | azcentral.com
Mesa Mayor Scott Smith will step down as leader of the state’s third-largest city to run for governor, he told The Arizona Republic on Wednesday, a decision that ends months of speculation and shakes up a crowded and already-competitive GOP field.
Smith, a Republican businessman who was first elected mayor in 2008 with virtually no political experience, said he hopes to replicate on a statewide level the economic and educational successes he’s had in Mesa. He said his business experience, his ability to bring people together and his energy will help him define and carry out a fresh vision for Arizona that capitalizes on its strengths, ranging from universities and aerospace to tourism and health care.
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