As a result of Ivana Trump’s untimely death last week, former President Donald Trump postponed the upcoming Arizona Save America rally to Friday, July 22. The state has become a battleground for various factions within the GOP to line up with the Trump-endorsed candidate or the non-Trump-endorsed candidate.
In this case, it’s former Vice President Mike Pence joining the fray endorsing Karrin Taylor Robson against the Trump-endorsed Kari Lake in the upcoming gubernatorial primary on August 2.
Not only has Pence publicly endorsed Robson but the former VP will also be holding a campaign event on the same day as Trump’s rally for Kari Lake this Friday:
Driving the news: Pence is expected to campaign with Robson, a housing developer, on Friday — the same day that Trump is set to hold a rally for former TV news anchor Kari Lake.
The winner of the Aug. 2 Republican primary will likely become the state’s next governor, Axios’ Jessica Boehm reports.
Pence said Robson is “the only candidate for governor that will keep Arizona’s border secure and streets safe, empower parents and create great schools and promote conservative values.”
The big picture: Pence’s endorsement also underscores the split between GOP lawmakers and candidates who have embraced Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election and those who want to distance themselves from that rhetoric.
Pence’s move is yet another indication that Trump’s former VP intends to launch his own presidential campaign in 2024. Would Pence really challenge Trump for control of the party? Maybe.
If Pence runs, others like Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a staunch almost-never-Trumper will probably sit on the sideline. Is it possible Pence has become the never-Trump voice within the GOP after the rift over January 6 and claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election?
As with all of Trump’s midterm endorsements, each race is being watched closely on all sides, especially by other Republicans with possible presidential aspirations of their own. Whenever Trump’s endorsed candidate doesn’t prevail, it’s one more notch for rivals like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
This isn’t the first time Trump and Pence have engaged in a primary proxy battle.
Down in Georgia, Pence won the last round:
It represents the latest breach in the relationship between Trump and Pence, and it’s the second time the two have collided in a primary. And Pence is slated to campaign for Robson on Friday — creating a dramatic split-screen moment opposite Trump, who is set to hold a rally for his endorsed candidate, former local TV news anchor Kari Lake, the same day.
Pence, whose relationship with Trump ruptured after he defied the former president’s pressure campaign to not certify the 2020 election results, also endorsed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp for reelection earlier this year. Kemp, who Trump relentlessly attacked for refusing to intervene in Georgia’s vote count, successfully held off a primary challenge from a Trump-backed candidate, former Republican Sen. David Perdue.
Arizona is a very different political landscape than Georgia where Brian Kemp, the fairly popular incumbent, was easily able to lock David Purdue, the Trump-endorsed challenger, out of fundraising support and basically out of the race from the beginning.
It’s not that Georgia Republicans were anti-Trump as much as they were a lot more pro-Kemp to the point where Trump’s Purdue endorsement was basically meaningless. The Georgia race was basically over before it started.
In Arizona, Robson is down to Lake meaning Trump’s starting on the winning side of this race.
Whatever happens, there will be a lot riding on the outcome of the Arizona GOP primary for governor and Senate that takes place on Tuesday, August 2.
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