Why is Matt Salmon the only GOP governor candidate trashing Sen. Wendy Rogers? – The Arizona Republic

Opinion: Matt Salmon is the last remaining high-profile Republican in Arizona with any combination of guts, morals and common sense. Which voters used to think of as good things.

They are either cowards or comrades.

Its difficult to tell which is worse, and it includes every prominent Republican in Arizona … with the exception of gubernatorial candidate Matt Salmon.

Among elected members of the GOP, and those seeking nominations for the states highest offices, the only person publicly condemning Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers for her vile comments and her unhinged advocacy of false, specious conspiracies the only one saying she should resign from office is Salmon.

Sadly, he is apparently the last remaining high-profile Republican in Arizona with any combination of guts, morals and common sense.

That is a tragedy.

Every political party, team, social club or service organization occasionally includes someone that you absolutely do NOT want on your side. Someone whose moral compass has reversed its polarity, north pointing south, truth pointing to lies, civility pointing to cruelty, reality pointing to fantasy.

Like when Rogers called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a globalist puppet for Soros and the Clintons and claimed that half of the combat footage taken in the city of Kyiv was a video game.

Or when she suggested that people she proclaimed to be traitors should be publicly hanged. Or when she threatened to personally destroy the career of any Republican who partakes in the gaslighting of me.

Or when she called the white nationalists at the America First Political Action Conference in Florida patriots. And sang the praises and expressed love for the groupsracist, anti-Semitic leader, Nick Fuentes, who told attendees at the gathering, Now, theyre going and saying, Vladimir Putin is Adolf Hitler, as if that isnt a good thing.

It goes on.

Most recently, Rogers has been peddling the white nationalist replacement theory, which suggests that Democrats and elites are trying to flood the U.S. with brown and Black immigrants in order to secure political power. And she went so far as to suggest that the Buffalo shooting may have been a false flag event directed by the federal government.

What kind of people would what such a person in their political party?

Republicans, it seems.

Former TV news reader and Republican candidate for governor Kari Lake is thrilled to have Rogers endorsement. The two have a back and forth Twitter lovefest.

As when Lake tweeted:

Senator Wendy Rogers is a proven fighter whether it was 20 years in the Air Force or going against the woke political left and their media activists constantly trying to take her down. I cannot wait to fight alongside her for the America First agenda!

Likewise, GOP governor candidate Karrin Taylor Robson has bragged about helping Rogers get elected. She tweeted:

As Chairwoman of Arizonas Republican Legislative Victory Fund, I was proud to support @WendyRogersaz who overcame millions of dollars in attacks from the Left to win and help us protect our one-seat conservative majority!

Is truth an attack?Or is it, simply, truth?

Last week, on KTARs The Mike Broomhead Show, Matt Salmon said, I think that this conspiracy theory she (Rogers) has, that the federal government is behind the latest horrible attack, that it was a red flag issue, its completely bogus. And I reject that and I reject her, and I believe that she should step aside.

Salmon has spoken out about Rogers before.

He told Broomhead, The last time around when she said that anybody that disagreed with her, she was going to come after them and that that the people that she disagreed with should be hung on the gallows, I called on her to resign at that time. And thats the strongest thing that I can possibly say, and I reiterate that again now.

Without naming Lake or Robson he added, I think its sad that … one of them helped her (Rogers) get elected and is proud of that and says that all the time. The other one pals around with her all the time and takes her pictures with her and has endorsed her and has been endorsed by her.

Hes right. That is sad.

Sadder still is the reason Salmon is on an island in his condemnation of Rogers.

Its because all those other high-profile Republicans know that being honest, showing a little integrity and a little guts, will hurt youwith Arizonas Republican base.

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

For more opinions content, please subscribe.

Go here to see the original:

Why is Matt Salmon the only GOP governor candidate trashing Sen. Wendy Rogers? - The Arizona Republic