The race for the Arizona gubernatorial nomination was further complicated today as news surfaced that former Vice President Mike Pence is planning to travel to the state to campaign against Kari Lake, the candidate endorsed by 45th President Donald Trump.
Trump endorsed former local television anchor Kari Lake for the Republican nomination, and plans to rally with her in the state were briefly delayed by the passing of his first wife Ivana.
Now, Pence is reportedly set to throw his weight behind her “mainstream” establishment-backed opponent, Karrin Taylor Robinson, and will rally with her beginning this Friday, the same day as Trump’s next visit to the Grand Canyon State.
“An adviser to Pence said the former vice president will visit the border on Friday, joined by Taylor Robson and Brandon Judd,” reported The Washington Post.
Outgoing Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who became a political enemy of Trump during the fallout from the 2020 election, has also endorsed Taylor Robson at press time.
Donald Trump and Mike Pence (Public Domain)
Election integrity, securing the border, and loyalty to the 45th President have formed much of Lake’s platform, while Taylor Robson claims voters are tired of hearing about the last election and efforts to secure future elections.
The move sets another showdown between Trump and Pence after the former Vice President endorsed anti-Trump incumbent Brian Kemp for reelection in Georgia. Kemp won his primary, as did most establishment-backed candidates in the state. Some grassroots Republicans blamed the state’s open primary system, which allowed Democrats to vote in Republican primaries.
Wins in Arizona may not come as easily for the former vice president, who Trump recently described as a “human conveyor belt” for fraud because of his refusal to toss out electoral college slates from states with credible accusations of widespread voter fraud on January 6.
Read More: Kari Lake Declares Biden ‘An Illegitimate President’ While On Fox News
A new poll from The Gateway Pundit and Cygnal Polling shows Lake up by double digits over Taylor Robson, likely buoyed by Trump’s endorsement.
The poll shows Lake ahead by nearly 12%, at 45.4% compared to Taylor Robson’s 33.7%. However, 14.2% of voters remained undecided, and around 6% of voters support lesser known candidates.
U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters, another of Trump’s picks in the state, is also far ahead of the competition according to the poll.
Masters is ahead by 10 points at 29.9% of the vote, and his nearest competitor, Jim Lamon, sits at 19.6%. Mark Brnovich, the state’s current Attorney General who has been criticized for perceived inaction on election integrity, polled at 17.9%. A quarter of voters remained undecided.
Republican voters in Arizona will head to the polls on August 2, 2022, and early voting began this month.
