PHOENIX — Former two-term Republican Gov. Doug Ducey endorsed the party's presidential nominee, Donald Trump, and U.S. Senate nominee Kari Lake.
"Differences aside," Ducey said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, "there is too much on the line and only a Republican in the White House and a majority in the House and US Senate can ensure it."
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: ‘Dejando diferencias al lado’ exgobernador de Arizona alienta a votar por Trump y Lake
Ducey checked off a list of issues including the border and school choice, which he championed while in office.
"Much is on the line this election year & I'm encouraging all eligible Arizonans to vote & prioritize the issues that most affect our state & nation," Ducey said.
Ducey himself has much to set aside.
Both Trump and Lake have claimed with no evidence their respective elections in Arizona were stolen.
Trump pressured Ducey and other Arizona Republicans to undo his election defeat in 2020.
Lake has a motion before the Arizona Supreme Court asking the justices to declare her governor, two years after the election and amid countless court defeats.
When the former TV newscaster ran for governor in 2022, Ducey labeled Lake as a "fake" and said she was acting. Lake bashed him as "do-nothing Ducey" and a "doormat for the cartels."
Ducey endorsed Lake's primary opponent, Karrin Taylor Robson. Robson lost the primary. Ducey then endorsed Lake in the general election. Lake lost the election.
Robson endorsed Trump last month.
Ducey was loyal to Trump during his first term in office.
But Trump lambasted Ducey for certifying the 2020 presidential vote in Arizona, which Trump lost. The then-president had tried to call Ducey while Ducey was signing the certification document in November 2020.
Video of the signing showed Ducey hearing the distinctive "Hail to the Chief" ringtone, pulling the cell phone from his breast pocket and looking at the caller, then putting the phone down.
The former governor now leads Citizens for Free Enterprise, an organization that promotes free enterprise.
The Ducey endorsement comes amid warning signs for Arizona Republicans.
Election analysts rate Arizona a toss-up in the presidential election since the debut of the Democratic presidential ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
A poll done after the Arizona primary in late July shows Lake trailing her Democratic opponent, Congressman Ruben Gallego of Phoenix, by 11 points.
Lake recently told a reporter she would remain staunchly pro-Trump, despite signs that turned off mainstream Republicans in 2022.
Ducey is among a few former Arizona officeholders shoring up Lake's general election campaign.
During her losing campaign for governor in 2022 against Democrat Katie Hobbs, Lake ran well behind the state's top Republican vote-getter, state Treasurer Kimberly Yee - a sign that Republican voters abandoned Lake.
Those lost Republican votes might have made a difference in an election Lake lost by just 17,000 votes.
Decision 2024
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