Divisions within the party, especially between the Republican National Committee and some within the Arizona GOP, manifested themselves when the Maricopa County Republican Committee voted not to accept RNC polling data in future elections.
One prominent political insider told Newsmax: “If Republicans don’t want to be relegated to indefinite backseat status, they need to stop ripping each other to shreds over purity standards, focus on solid campaign mechanics, and not make assumptions about what vot- ers want to hear.” Divisions within the party, especially between the Republican National Committee and some within the Arizona GOP, manifested themselves when the Mari- copa County Republican Committee voted not to accept RNC polling data in future elections. The Maricopa County Republican Committee insists
that the 2022 election was “stolen,” which they blame in large part on RNC’s failure to support Trump-endorsed candidates. These divisions within the state GOP come at a time
when Republicans look like they have a good chance to win the Senate seat in 2024 with incumbent Kyrsten Sinema’s announcement she was leaving the Democrat- ic Party to register as an independent. Immediately after her declaration, left-wing Rep.
Ruben Gallego, who had already been thinking about a primary run, announced he was running for the Demo- crat nomination. Already several possible Republican candidates for
a Senate run have bowed out. They predict a repeat of the 2022 rancorous gubernatorial primary between Lake and more moderate Karrin Taylor Robson. The campaign became vicious, with Robson calling
her rival “Fake Lake” and Lake attacking her opponent as a RINO (Republican in name only) and a gold digger. Party divide worsened after Lake won the nomina-
tion. Lake added fuel to the fire when she opened a cam- paign rally shortly before the election by asking: “We don’t have any McCain Republicans in here, do we? Get the hell out!” Throughout the campaign, Lake discouraged voters
from casting early ballots, which ended up playing into Democrat hands. Whether Lake decides to run for the Senate seat in 2024
remains anyone’s guess. Few are counting on a Blake Mas- ters retry. Former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced he was not going to seek this seat, although for many insiders he
is the best candidate to win the general election. State Treasurer Kimberly Yee won reelection in 2022 by
a large margin, so her name has come up. Word is that she will wait until 2026 for any run. Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb was a likely Senate candidate until the tragic death of his son and grand- daughter in a car accident shortly before Christmas. At this point, Republicans appear to be wandering in
the wilderness, unable to enter the promised land by 2024. As one party official who did not want to be named
said: “Common sense about winning the general elec- tion is not prevalent within a large segment of the Republican voter base. “It might take another election cycle — 2024 — of
defeat before these voters understand that their candi- dates need to do more than just win the primary vote.” Much of what happens within the Arizona GOP will
play out in Republican presidential politics. Supporters of Ron DeSantis for president, specifically Ed Rollins’ Ready for Ron, were actively campaigning at the state convention that brought DeWit into the party leadership. While DeWit won the support of Trump backers,
many pointed out that he had backed Lake rival Jim Lamon for the Senate, much to the chagrin of Trump and Lake.
Democrats might prove to be the unifying force for Republicans. New Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs sent the GOP-controlled legislature a proposed budget that cuts funding for universal school vouchers, a popular program recently signed into law by Ducey. At the same time, newly elected Secretary of State Adrian Fontes requested that the state attorney general undertake a criminal investigation of Lake for a fundraising ad. Instead of posturing as centrists, Arizona Democrats
are walking a Joe Biden-like left-wing path by revers- ing previous administration programs and prosecuting opponents. Just as Biden has united Republicans on the national level, Arizona Democrats might just prove to be the unifiers that Republicans need in Arizona.
Donald T. Critchlow, Katzin Family Professor, is director of the Center for American Institutions at Arizona State University. He is the author of Revolutionary Monsters: Five Men Who Turned Liberation Into Tyranny (Regnery, 2021).
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