[Opinion] Arizona’s GOP primaries went full MAGA. Now, Democrats think they have a shot.
By Rachel Leingang | Washington Post
There might have been a path to victory in the Republican primary in Arizona on Tuesday for statewide candidates who vigorously defended the 2020 election results and made support for the democratic process a cornerstone of their campaigns.
But no one tried to chart it.
Instead, candidates in crowded primaries for governor, U.S. Senate, attorney general and secretary of state almost uniformly sought former president Donald Trump’s approval and support from his base by aligning themselves with the contention that the 2020 election was stolen. For those who got the endorsement, it proved critical.
In the governor’s race, former TV news anchor Kari Lake is leading wealthy self-funder Karrin Taylor Robson, despite Robson’s support from Gov. Doug Ducey and former vice president Mike Pence. The $15 million Robson invested in her own campaign took her from zero name recognition to neck-and-neck with Lake. But that likely won’t be enough to beat the sledgehammer-toting Lake, whose frequent election denialism snagged her Trump’s early and enthusiastic support.
Further down the ballot, Tom Galvin, a Republican appointee running to win his seat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, a body controlled by Republicans who have beat back 2020 conspiracies nonstop, won his race over candidates who made denying the previous election a cornerstone of their run. But he seems to be the exception to the overarching election denialism theme this year.
