Arizona’s GOP candidates for governor seem determined to hand the job to Democrats – The Arizona Republic

Opinion: Republicans appear dead set on losing the governor's race next year if they can't even acknowledge the reality that Joe Biden won Arizona in 2020.

With just over a year until Arizona chooses the next governor to steer our beloved state through whatever rocky, roiling waters await us, its somehow comforting to know that we are blessed with a Republican cast of stand-up candidates.

Pragmatic leaders who stand ready to embrace reality, who tell people not what they want to hear but what they need to know.

Genuine statesmen (and women) who set aside political gamesmanship and stand firm in their commitment to forthrightly deal with the issues that confront us, even when such honesty comes at a personal price.

People who possess the courage to …

Oh, who am I kidding?

Of the five Republicans running for governor, not even one of them will acknowledge that Joe Biden won Arizona last year.

Theyve all taken a swan dive down the rabbit hole though some more deeply than othersinto a curious and confusing world where down is up and black is white and everyone plays to the fantasy that a giant conspiracy robbed Trump of Arizonas vote.

Maybe. Probably. Or in the case of Kari Lake, absolutely.

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Were going to find out that the real winner was not called on electionnight, Lake said, during a recent interview with a conservative podcaster. And thatwere going to find outPresidentTrumpwas the real winner ofArizona.

Theres a reason why Lake is considered the Republican frontrunner in next years governors race. She plays to the houseand to heck with the long-term damage done in a state that once upon a time before Trumps loss was considered a model for how to conduct elections.

As for the other candidates, they refuse to answer this apparently difficult question posed by The Arizona Republics Stacey Barchenger, 10 months after the fact:

Who won the presidential election in Arizona?

State Treasurer Kimberly Yee: Declined to answer.

Former Rep. Matt Salmon: Declined to answer.

Businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson: Declined to answer,

Businessman Steve Gaynor: Declined to answer, though he, at least, acknowledged that Joe Biden is president.

However, there is widespread belief that the outcome of the 2020 election was materially affected by fraud, he told Barchenger, in a statement. I share those concerns.

A widespread belief, maybe one shamelesslypromoted by people with obvious political and financial ambitions.But do you know whats not widespread?

Any actual evidence of a problem with Arizonas count.

Actual evidence indicates that moderate Republican and GOP-leaning independents who supported Trump in 2016 simply could not bring themselves to do so again in 2020.

Most, if not all, of the Republican candidates for governor know that. Yet every one of them has opted for the fine art of the political pander, telling conservativeswhat they want to heareither through their statements or their silence.

All but Salmon say they support the audit. (Salmon dodged the audit question, too.)

Apparently, none of themhas any concern about getting an unbiasedand accurate result from an audit beingrun for and by Trump supporters who have no elections experience but plenty of theories on how it was stolen.

I'm guessing these candidates wouldalso have no qualms about relying onoil companies to examine whether fossil fuel poses a problem to the environment orasking cotton farmers whether the state needs to cut back on water use.

I get it. Most Republican voters support the audit;therefore, the Republican candidates support the audit.

Everyone wants a Trump endorsement; therefore, no one is willing to tell the former emperor to put some damn pants on.

Political giants theyare, one and all.

Meanwhile, they ignore the thousands of moderately conservative Republican and GOP-leaning independents who elected Biden,not because they are becoming Democrats but because they simply could not vote for Donald Trump.

The ones who are waiting for sane leaders within the onceonce-Grand Old Party to reassert themselves now,before the party of the big tent becomes the party of the pup tent.

The ones who will, once again, likely decide next years election.

The one in November, that is.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.

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Arizona's GOP candidates for governor seem determined to hand the job to Democrats - The Arizona Republic