On Monday, Mike Pence drew yet another line in the sand against Donald Trump by supporting Kari Lake’s opponent in the Arizona Republican gubernatorial primary. Lake is a favorite of the former president.
Karrin Taylor Robson, a former member of the Arizona Board of Regents, tweeted about Pence’s endorsement early on Monday.
Even though neither Pence nor Trump have officially declared their candidacy, there are suspicions that the former Republican presidential ticket could separate, resulting in a contentious Republican primary contest in 2024.
Robson has made progress in recent months, and the most recent polls now show that she is only five points behind Lake.
Trump has used Lake, a former local news anchor, to further his accusations that her state’s tight 2020 race was rigged in favor of Joe Biden.
Karrin Taylor Robson is the only candidate for governor who would maintain Arizona’s border security and street safety, empower parents and build great schools, and support conservative values, according to Pence, who was quoted in a statement released by Robson’s campaign.
‘Karrin is the best choice for Arizona’s future, and I am proud to support her.’
Robson praised Pence as a ‘warrior,’ and in perhaps a veiled jab at Trump, added: ‘Modern politics is full of charlatans & fakes, but VP Pence is the genuine article. He has never wavered in his conservative beliefs & commitment to our Constitution…’
On Friday, when both are set to appear in support of their respective candidates in Arizona, Trump and Pence will be vying for the attention of the party’s conservatives.
Pence will attend a border event alongside Robson and has not ruled out running against Trump in a potential 2024 primary.
Trump will hold his second rally in Arizona this year while he is there. Because of the unexpected death of his ex-wife Ivana Trump, it was postponed from its intended date of July 16.
When Pence refused to take part in Trump and his friends’ plot to annul the results of the 2020 election, the relationship between the former GOP running mates broke out.
Additionally, this election season has witnessed several proxy races between Trump and Pence in addition to the one in Arizona. Some of the former president’s most notable electoral setbacks this cycle occurred in Georgia’s primary elections in May, when his preferred candidates for governor and secretary of state lost to incumbents.
After Trump convinced ex-Senator David Perdue to challenge him, Pence backed Republican Governor Brian Kemp.
Kemp, like Pence, drew Trump’s ire for refusing to support charges that his state was involved in the 2016 presidential election’s fraud.
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, who Trump also criticized for standing by his state’s elections, indirectly took on the former president earlier this month when he too endorsed Robson for his seat.
In a video posted by her candidacy on July 7, the term-limited governor lauded Robson as a true conservative and used her time working in Ronald Reagan’s White House as proof of her qualifications.
In a more recent interview on CNN’s State of the Union, he further separated himself from Trump by attacking Robson’s opponent Lake.
‘I think Karrin Taylor Robson will be the best person to be a fresh new leader for the state of Arizona,’ Ducey said on Sunday. ‘Her opponent, on the other hand, bears no resemblance – her campaign or even her personal interactions with me – to anything she’s done over the past 30 years.’
‘This is all an act. She’s been putting on a show for some time now. And we will see if the voters of Arizona buy it.’
Ducey also invoked the nickname ‘Fake Lake’ and accused the former journalist of ‘misleading voters with no evidence’ of Trump’s election fraud claims – though he’s never called out the ex-president on the matter directly.
Shortly after Ducey endorsed Robson, Lake touted her ‘ultra MAGA’ list of supporters – including Donald Trump Jr., MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, disgraced former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and Rudy Giuliani.
Lake and Robson will face-off in the primary election on August 2.