Pence supported another GOP primary candidate for governor against Trump’s preference, thereby widening the already tense split between Ex-Vice President Mike Pence and Ex-President Trump.
You don’t need to be a keen observer of Arizona politics in order to understand the implications of Trump’s slow-motion divorce from Arizona. He continues to litigate the 2020 election results and other Republicans who are more concerned with the future of their party – and themselves.
Pence supported Karrin Taylor Robson who is a member of the long-standing Arizona Republican family as well as the state Board of Regents. A term-limited governor has also endorsed her. Doug Ducey, Jan Brewer, Fyfe Symington, and Matt Salmon were former governors.
Trump has supported Kari Lake, a former TV anchor who enthusiastically supports Trump’s claim of a stolen and fraudulent 2020 presidential election.
Trump and Mike Pence will be campaigning in Arizona Friday for the Aug. 2, primary race. The spending has already surpassed $15 million.
Pence seems to have decided that he will not be able to win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination through Trump like other Republicans.
This is a high-stakes job for the former vice president. Pence, who recently turned 63, will be counting on his conservative record as Indiana governor and vice president, along with his character and close association with Trump’s successes in economic, energy, and foreign affairs.
He hopes this will appeal to Trump’s tumult, his behavior and outbursts, and his rigid refusal to accept the 2020 election results. This includes GOP and independent voters, who either didn’t vote or drifted to support Biden as an inferior alternative.
It is an unexpected twist. It was a surprising turn. Pence, Trump’s closest political friend, and most vocal advocate was there for four years. Trump would be 78 in 2024. He will be the same age as Biden when he was elected the oldest president of all time.
Trump then turned on the vice president, accusing him of not supporting the election’s certification at Capitol Hill in January 2021.
This is the second campaign by Pence against Trump’s primary choice for governor. Pence supported the incumbent governor of Georgia. Brian Kemp won over David Perdue (ex-Senator), who Trump recruited to challenge Kemp’s 2020 election results.
Pence stated that Brian Kemp would be a good candidate for Governor.
Perdue was defeated by Kemp by 52 points in the primary on May 24, which harmed the record of the former president’s endorsements.
The former casino operator is betting big on his endorsements of Republican candidates in Nov. 8 midterms. Results will be closely monitored to gauge Trump’s influence within the party. As attention shifts to 2024, Trump will continue to hold sway in the party of Lincoln.
Other GOP officeholders will be tempted to join primary bids if they have a poor or mixed showing, even if it is to increase their national profile and build donor networks.
Most people believe that Trump will try to be the second president to lose his reelection bid, and then return to the White House four more years later. Grover Cleveland, who was elected in 1884-1892, was one of two Democrats to occupy the White House (Woodrow Wilson), during the 72-year Republican rule from 1860-1932. This marathon of success began with Abraham Lincoln, who was the party’s first president. It continued through Herbert Hoover (the last cabinet member to be elected president).
In our Sunday column, we analyze Trump’s decision-making process and future outlook.
The modern vice presidents have had mixed success in capturing or inheriting the presidency. George H.W. Bush, Richard Nixon, and Joe Biden all succeeded. Al Gore and Walter Mondale failed, as did Hubert Humphrey.
Lyndon Johnson was able to inherit the White House after John Kennedy’s assassination in 1964 but lost his election in 1968 due to opposition from the Vietnam War.
Arizona was once a strong GOP state. It was home to Barry Goldwater in 1964 and John McCain in 2008. With just a touch under 80 percent voter turnout in 2020, Trump lost Arizona’s 11 electoral votes to Joe Biden. This was 10,457 votes from more than 3.3 million votes.
Trump also decried Arizona’s Ducey’s inability to overthrow the narrow presidential election results.
This file photo of Arizona Governor Doug Ducey was taken on Nov. 18, 2015. Doug Ducey takes part in a panel discussion at the Republican Governors Association annual convention in Las Vegas. Ducey speaks at the Republican Governors Association annual conference in Las Vegas.
Pence said Taylor Robson was “the best choice for Arizona’s future.”
While Arizona Democrats continue to pursue the dangerous Biden-Harris agenda Karrin TaylorRobson is the only candidate for governor who will keep Arizona’s borders secure and streets safe. She will empower parents, create great schools and promote conservative values.
She responded:
Modern politics is filled with charlatans and fakes but vice president Pence is the real deal. Pence has always stood firm in his conservative beliefs and remained committed to the Constitution. He left an impressive legacy as Governor of (Indiana), which I will continue to aspire to.
Lake has taken aggressive positions on many issues. To address illegal immigration, she suggested that the southern border be invaded. She would like to complete the Trump-era wall and suggested that bombing be used on underground tunnels used for drug cartels in Mexico.
Lake stated to the Arizona Republic, “I don’t care what Joe Biden has to say.” “He’s an illegitimate president. If he wants to stop us, he can come to this place and try to do so.”
An Arizona poll in April showed Lake, a former Obama supporter, winning the governor’s race by a margin of 30 to 9.5 percent over Taylor Robson. A new poll from earlier in the month showed that there was a statistical dead heat between the women, with each woman being in the top 30 percent.
