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By Stacey Barchenger | Arizona Republic
Republican businessman Steve Gaynor said Thursday he was ending his bid to become Arizona’s next governor, leaving behind a fierce battle for the GOP nomination.
In a statement announcing his decision, Gaynor thanked his supporters, campaign staff and volunteers, and family members.
“I entered the race for Arizona governor because I am angry about what I see happening in our country and our state,” he said. “I knew I could lead the way to solving many of our problems. After months on the campaign trail, and with due respect to my competitors, I remain convinced that my business skills and leadership style make me the best choice for governor.”
Yet he cast his choice as a practical decision in a crowded race, citing polling that showed his “chance of winning is low enough to be unrealistic” in a four-way contest.
“I am nothing if not a rational decision-maker, and I therefore have decided to suspend my campaign for governor,” he said.
Gaynor, who owns a commercial printing business and lives in Paradise Valley, showed a willingness to invest heavily in his effort for the state government’s top job, putting $5 million of his own money to his campaign.
But he had spent very little of it while other leading candidates — who were also not well-known to the public, like former developer and member of the Board of Regents Karrin Taylor Robson — were spending millions on advertising to get their names and messages before voters.
Two other candidates entered the race with established histories with Arizonans. They include Kari Lake, the Donald Trump-adoring firebrand and former Fox 10 news anchor who polls show is leading the race, and former U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon, who has sought to distinguish himself as the only GOP candidate with prior experience in elected office.
Gaynor had struggled to stand out from the stacked Republican field since announcing his campaign in June.
“Lake jumped out with her name (recognition), everybody knew that Karrin would have a significant amount of assets, and there’s an ex-congressman who’s been elected twice,” Republican consultant Chuck Coughlin, of Phoenix’s HighGround public affairs firm, said. “What’s your space? It never appeared. It’s a very competitive field of people with fairly high profiles in the Republican primary.”
