Things are getting uglier for Donald Trump and Mike Pence
Things aren’t exactly going well for the former guy, as he’s been melting down quite publicly over the Jan 6 committee hearings. He’s also been seeing a number of his handpicked endorsements flame out in state primaries – particularly if they are picked out of personal loyalty rather than their ability to win a general election. The latter is about to become more of a problem as the GOP is quietly trying to distance itself from Donald Trump – or at least what it thinks middle of the road voters will see as distancing.
Party leaders in the Arizona GOP have gotten wise to this – which is why a number of them are rallying behind Karrin Taylor Robson over the more widely recognized, Trump-endorsed candidate for governor, Kari Lake. The incumbent governor of the state, Doug Ducey has already thrown his support behind Robson in hopes of distancing himself and the GOP from the lies about the 2020 election that Lake has helped to amplify.
Now, Robson has received another ringing endorsement from someone with a national profile: former Vice President (and former Indiana Gov.) Mike Pence – who is clearly trying to appeal to any non-Trump Republicans, despite the ire of Trumpers that he earned for his role in the Jan 6 insurrection.
We’ll see how this plays out – as it could be too little too late for Robson – and even if she does win, she’ll face inevitable questions about the nature of the 2020 election, while she’s pitted against Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in the general election this fall. Yet again, the distinction couldn’t be clearer between the two parties – with only one candidate who believes in the integrity of our elections.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making