Donald Trump makes early endorsement in 2026 race for Arizona governor
Dec 23, 2024, 9:59 AM
PHOENIX – He hasn’t been sworn back in yet, but President-elect Donald Trump didn’t bother waiting to shake up the next big Arizona election.
Trump dropped a bombshell during his speech in Phoenix on Sunday by saying he wants Karrin Taylor Robson to be the next Arizona governor.
Trump directly addressed Taylor Robson after picking her out in the crowd during Turning Point’s AmericaFest event at the Phoenix Convention Center.
“Are you running for governor? I think so, Karrin. Because if you do, you’re going to have my support,” Trump said.
Taylor Robson reacted to the shoutout in a post on X, calling Trump “a president for all Americans.”
President @realDonaldTrump is a president for all Americans.
I am beyond honored to have his support. Thank you Mr. President for everything you do for our country and for the great State of Arizona. pic.twitter.com/PTFcIoVXAj
— Karrin Taylor Robson (@KTaylorRobson) December 22, 2024
“I am beyond honored to have his support. Thank you Mr. President for everything you do for our country and for the great State of Arizona,” she wrote.
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Trump also endorsed Gina Swoboda as she seeks a second term as chair of the Arizona Republican Party.
“We’re going to be backing Gina to run again,” he said during Sunday’s speech.
Who did Donald Trump endorse in last Arizona governor race?
Republicans are salivating for a chance to retake the governor’s seat after Katie Hobbs defeated Kari Lake two years ago, becoming the first Democrat elected to the office since Janet Napolitano won a second term in 2006.
In 2022, Taylor Robson finished second to Lake by nearly 5 percentage points in the five-person Republican primary. Trump endorsed Lake in that contest.
Taylor Robson sat out the 2024 campaign cycle while Lake ran for a U.S. Senate seat. Lake, a former TV news anchor, lost to Democrat Ruben Gallego in the general election after cruising to the GOP nomination with Trump’s endorsement.
Nonetheless, Trump rewarded Lake for her loyalty by choosing her to be the director of Voice of America in the incoming administration.
Who is Karrin Taylor Robson?
While Lake has been an unwavering proponent of Trump’s MAGA movement, Taylor Robson is considered a more traditional Republican.
Taylor Robson entered the 2022 gubernatorial race as a relatively unknown housing developer and member of the Arizona Board of Regents, the entity that oversees the state’s three public universities.
She used her family’s wealth to boost her profile, pouring more than $13 million into her campaign. Her husband, 94-year-old Ed Robson, amassed a fortune building master-planned retirement communities.
According to Washington Post reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, Trump operatives scouted potential Arizona governor options for weeks before he made the endorsement.
