What Arizona’s primaries will tell us about the GOP divide
BY JULIA MANCHESTER - 08/02/22 5:30 AM ETThe proxy battle between President Trump and establishment Republican figures will come to a head in Tuesday’s Arizona primaries, providing an indication of the direction the GOP might take going forward.
The two wings of the Republican Party have provided contrasting messages in the lead-up to Arizona’s primaries, with Trump and his endorsed candidates zeroing in on his unfounded claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him and establishment-backed Republicans focusing on kitchen table issues and being an alternative to Democratic Party control.
This has played out most publicly in Arizona’s GOP gubernatorial primary, where Trump has backed former television news anchor Kari Lake, while former Vice President Mike Pence and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) have thrown their support behind businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson.
“This certainly feels like ground zero,” said one Republican operative with ties to Arizona, who is supportive of Lake.
The operative added that Pence’s involvement made the dynamic on Tuesday “much more of a larger atmospheric fight.”
“It certainly does feel like old guard vs. new guard,” the operative said.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3583283-what-arizonas-primaries-will-tell-us-about-the-gop/