Republican Arizona lawmaker ends run for Congress, cites lack of Trump endorsement

PHOENIX – Republican Arizona state Sen. Kelly Townsend on Friday said she was ending her campaign for a U.S. House seat, citing the lack of an endorsement from former President Donald Trump and her recent conflict with colleague Wendy Rogers.

“I have let President Trump’s team know that I am closing my Congressional campaign and will just focus on my legislative duties,” Townsend said in a statement.

“There is so much work to be done that is critical to our future, so while I prayerfully consider my next move, I know that I have the job I want and I will happily focus on our State Capitol instead of our nation’s capital.”

A day earlier, Townsend rejected an endorsement from state Sen. Wendy Rogers, who was endorsed by Trump and has been under fire recently for violent rhetoric and associating with white nationalists.

“I do not wish to accept financial donations that she solicited and will respectfully return them,” Townsend tweeted on Thursday. “I continue to call on her to end her support of an open antisemite.”

Townsend alluded to Rogers, whom the Senate voted to censure this week, without naming her in Thursday’s announcement.

Pressure mounted within the GOP this week after Rogers said that her political opponents should face a “newly built set of gallows.” She spoke in a video played at the America First Political Action Conference, which was founded by white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

“Recently, I refused to remain silent about an important issue involving a colleague who was already endorsed by President Trump,” Townsend’s statement said. “I knew that doing so might jeopardize my own endorsement from ever being finalized, but I could not remain silent.

“In order to not place them in a tough position, I let the President’s team know that I would be moving on without the endorsement.”

Redistricting put Rogers and Townsend in the same legislative district and they avoided a head-to-head matchup when Townsend decided to seek the congressional seat.

Townsend’s announcement Friday didn’t say anything about future plans, but she told The Associated Press that running against Rogers this year was among her options.

She also said she could return to the private sector or return to college to get a doctorate. She is a doula, a trained professional who assists mothers giving birth.

“I haven’t decided what my next move is,” she said in a text message to AP. “I will be prayerfully considering what is best for my family and myself. Because I consider the people of Arizona part of my family they will be included in the decision.”

Townsend had announced her intention to run for the seat in the newly drawn 6th Congressional District in January. In Thursday’s statement, she said she’d entered “at the urging of conservative activists and people close to President Trump.”

CD6 is similar to the current CD2 in southeast Arizona, which is currently represented by Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, who is retiring. Townsend lives in the East Valley, but candidates can run for Congress in districts where they don’t live as long as they are state residents.

Per Ballotpedia, the CD6 field consists of Republicans Juan Ciscomani, Young Mayberry, Mavrick Moser and Kathleen Winn and Democrats Kirsten Engel, Daniel Hernandez Jr., Marcos Urrea and John Williamson.

“The lack of the endorsement means that instead of being able to unite the field behind a single banner, my presence in the Republican primary will serve only to split the conservative vote even further and make it more difficult to elect an authentic America First candidate,” she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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