New chair of Arizona Republican Party Jeff DeWit says he’ll help candidates he disagrees with

PHOENIX – The new chair of the Arizona Republican Party said Monday he was going to focus on getting candidates into office even if he doesn’t share all of their beliefs.

“I’m going to be helping every Republican – it doesn’t mean I believe in everything they’re saying or everything they want to do,” DeWit told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News.

“I ran on a platform of … just getting back to the basics, the blocking and tackling: raise money, register voters and get out the vote to win elections,” he said. “We want to get back to winning elections.”

DeWit was elected last Saturday to replace controversial Kelli Ward, who was chosen in 2019 and didn’t seek another term.

During Ward’s four-year tenure, the GOP lost three Senate races and the state’s three top offices — governor, secretary of state and attorney general.

In last year’s primary, Ward openly promoted a slate of election deniers who went on to lose the general election in November.

DeWit, who was state treasurer from 2015 to 2018, said he was staying out of advocating for candidates in the primary.

“The party’s job is to turn out the vote and it’s the candidate’s job to promote themselves in primaries, do all that,” DeWit said.

“I even made a pledge not to endorse in primaries and whoever makes it through, we’re just going to get them across the finish line.”

DeWit, who served as chief operating officer for former President Donald Trump’s election and reelection campaigns, said he earned 72% of the votes in the six-way race to succeed Ward.

“I think it was a mandate,” he said of his victory. “Our party has bought into the fact that we’ve got to unify wholeheartedly, promoting the positive things that Republican values bring.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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