Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey tells NYT he will not run for US Senate

PHOENIX – Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey told The New York Times over the weekend he will not make a run for the U.S. Senate in 2022, when Sen. Mark Kelly is up for reelection.

“I’m not running for the United States Senate. It’s a no,” the Republican told the newspaper in a wide-ranging interview published Saturday.

“I’m 100 percent focused on being the governor of the state of Arizona.”

Ducey’s second (and final, per state limits) term as governor runs through 2022.

Many considered Ducey, who has gained a high national profile among GOP governors, a potentially strong candidate to challenge Kelly.

The speculation elevated when Ducey met with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell in Washington last week. Ducey was in the nation’s capital for President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

Ducey, who also is serving as 2021 chair for the Republican Governors Association, said he had other reasons for meeting with the senator from Kentucky.

“I got to know Leader McConnell through the open seat with the passing of John McCain,” he said. “The purpose of the meeting was to talk about the COVID-19 relief package.”

Great to see @LeaderMcConnell. Thanks for making time to connect. pic.twitter.com/mwRlyFi7Xs

— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) January 21, 2021

Arizona voters in November selected Kelly to serve out the final two years of McCain’s sixth term.

Kelly defeated Republican incumbent Martha McSally, whom Ducey had appointed to the seat following McCain’s 2018 death. Kelly’s victory gave Arizona two Democratic senators for the first time in nearly 70 years.

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