The prospect of a Ducey candidacy has hung over the Senate race for months./Getty Images
By Yvonne Wingett Sanchez & Stacey Barchenger | Arizona Republic
Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey will not run for the U.S. Senate this year, he told donors in a letter obtained by The Arizona Republic, finally putting to rest whether he held aspirations for elected office this cycle.
Ducey’s announcement to some of his closest financial allies ends the long-running effort by national and local Republican leaders and deep-pocketed donors to recruit him for the race against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., whose reelection could decide which party controls the evenly divided chamber.
The extended recruitment by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., reflected, in part, the perceived weakness of the existing GOP field of senatorial candidates.
The prospect of a Ducey candidacy has hung over the Senate race for months, possibly bottling up donations and endorsements from key Republican stakeholders.
