Ducey to hit campaign trail for McSally, other Arizona GOP candidates

PHOENIX – The campaign trail still calls to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, even though he has termed out and can’t run for reelection.

He’ll be stumping for, among others, Republican U.S. Sen. Martha McSally, who is running to keep her appointed seat against presumptive Democratic candidate Mark Kelly.

“I think it’s part of my role as as de facto leader of the party to go out there and advocate for good candidates and good ideas and also try to stop the bad ideas that will be at the ballot box,” Ducey said Thursday on KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News.

McSally has been trailing Kelly in recent polls but that means little, Ducey said.

“The only poll that is going to matter is Nov. 3,” he said. “It’s very early. Very few people are thinking about November for the U.S. Senate race right now.”

A poll released last week, Kelly led the closely watched race, 46% to 39.3%.

The poll was conducted Feb. 7-9 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9%.

“McSally is a sitting senator, she’s going to run a good campaign and she’s got an excellent record,” Ducey said.

With his time in the governorship hitting the halfway point of his second term, Ducey could well be taking a break from public service afterward.

“Eight years will be plenty,” the onetime CEO of Cold Stone Creamery said.

“It’s a job I enjoy very much, but you don’t have to stay in public life your whole life.”

Before becoming governor, Ducey served as state treasurer from 2011 to 2015.

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