PHOENIX – Former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson emphasized that it boils down to policies in her decision to endorse presidential candidate Donald Trump and her former 2022 primary rival, Kari Lake.
“It’s a binary choice,” Robson told The Post, highlighting that she endorsed Trump in 2016 and 2020.
“It’s Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. You look at the conservative and Republican vision for America or the Democrat vision for America, and they’re two completely different visions,” she continued, suggesting that voters “take personalities out of it.”
“I do not subscribe at all to Kamala Harris’s vision for America, which is colossal government, growth of the regulatory state, more taxes now, price controls, open borders, chaos in our streets. That is not my vision for America. I want a safe and secure America,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Harris campaign in Arizona is trying to counter the messaging on border security and the economy, as they continue to be top issues on the campaign trail locally.
“There is a clear choice in this election: Donald Trump is focused on himself, not making life better for the American people — which is why he killed the toughest, fairest border security deal in decades for his own personal gain and has plans to raise costs on working families by $3,900 per year,” Delaney Corcoran, spokesperson for the Arizona Democratic coordinated campaign, told The Post.
“Vice President Harris will never stop fighting to keep our communities safe and make sure everyone can not just get by, but get ahead.”
As for Robson, she endorsed Trump and Lake following Lake’s primary victory over Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in July, which was welcome news to the Senate campaign, The Post reported.
Robson’s endorsement garnered criticism from Democrats and some pundits, with one piece suggesting she “embarrasses herself” with the decision.
“I just think it’s par for the course. It’s a reflection of the media,” Robson said of the backlash.
“You gotta have thick skin. If you’re gonna get in politics, people are gonna throw mud at you. But at the end of the day, you make decisions hopefully based on your philosophy and worldview of what’s right and wrong,” she added, referencing the intense primary battle between her and Lake in 2022.
The two were bitter rivals throughout the 2022 primary cycle, and Lake ultimately won the Republican nomination with 48% to Robson’s 43%. Lake ultimately lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs.
Lake will face off against Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego in November.
“He, like Kamala Harris, is very much remaking themselves from where they are, right? Ruben Gallego was a member of the Progressive Caucus his entire career in Washington until he decided to run for the US Senate,” Robson said.
Harris and Gallego recently launched Republican groups in hopes of wooing a large cohort of swing voters in Arizona, and Lake announced a Democrats coalition a few days later.
In an interview with KPNX earlier this week, Robson said she is open-minded about her next steps, as it’s rumored she could pursue a bid for governor again in 2026.
For now, Robson said the main focus of her group, Arizona PAC, is to maintain Republican control in the Arizona state legislature, which only carries a one-seat majority in each chamber.
“If we fail this time, we don’t have that, and Arizona becomes a state that we wouldn’t recognize,” Robson warned Republicans, referencing how the tight 2020 race had Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in office in case Democrats won the majority.
Now, Hobbs is at the helm after taking office in 2023.
“I say that with a lot of confidence because all you have to do is look at the legislation that Democrats in Arizona’s legislature have sponsored over the last several cycles, and they will no longer be theoretical. They’ll be real.”
“I think Arizona is living off of the good work of Doug Ducey and a conservative Republican legislature. We have the lowest flat tax in America. Generally have a low tax environment. We have a low regulatory environment, low relative to other states, easier to get on the ladder of success,” she said about the economy.
“So, relative to other states, we’re doing pretty well. That won’t last if we don’t keep our legislative majorities.”
Ducey also endorsed Trump and Lake earlier this week despite political differences following the outcome of the 2020 election.