Following the apparent losses of major races to Democrats in the state, Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) Chairwoman Dr. Kelli Ward has faced calls to resign from her position, with significant backlash coming from former Republican gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson. However, Tyler Bowyer from Turning Point USA said this backlash is unnecessary because Ward will not be seeking reelection as party chair.
“Karrin has been a no-show, never helped GOP only herself, did zero after she lost & only helped Dems turnout for prop 308 to help illegals. If she was semi-involved she’d already know Ward isn’t even running,” tweeted Bowyer.
Obnoxious. @AZGOP started losing when establishment lost 2x with McSally. Karrin has been a no-show, never helped GOP only herself, did zero after she lost & only helped Dems turnout for prop 308 to help illegals. If she was semi-involved she’d already know Ward isnt even running https://t.co/ejgDZnfkLn
— Tyler Bowyer (@tylerbowyer) November 15, 2022
The Arizona Sun Times reached out to the AZGOP for additional comments but did not hear back before publishing.
Ward, a previous Republican State Senator, took the chair position in 2019 after losing the 2018 Primary Election for U.S. Senate to Martha McSally. Since then, Ward has served nearly two terms as a self-proclaimed “Trump Republican,” with her current term ending in January 2023.
In Robson’s statement against Ward, she alleged that Ward’s party leadership has been an “unmitigated disaster.” As she pointed out, since Ward took the chair position in 2019, Democrats have won Arizona’s Presidential vote, two U.S. Senate races, the Secretary of State, and the governor’s office. Robson blamed Ward’s leadership and “stoking division” for these losses.
“Kelli Ward must resign as the Arizona Republican Party Chairman. We need a fresh start at the AZGOP, and it starts with new leadership at the top,” said Robson.
However, Bowyer stated that the decline of Republicans in Arizona predated Ward’s time as chairwoman but started with McSally’s first loss to Kyrsten Cinema (D) in 2018. For many Republicans, the problem is not Ward’s leadership but elections they claim were stolen and rigged to keep Republicans like former President Donald Trump out of office.
In the current 2022 General Election, Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake said she would not be giving up in her race. Lake claims that printer issues, which caused tabulation machine malfunctions at 47 voting locations in Maricopa County, disenfranchised potentially thousands of Maricopa County voters. Lake is now in the process of taking in accounts from voters on election day who say they ran into an issue and is planning to take legal action to prevent the results from being certified.
Maricopa County continues to reveal the final trickles of uncounted ballots, dropping another 1,843 votes Saturday with a reported 3,359 remaining in the state. Current unofficial election results show that some races remain incredibly close.
As reported by the Sun Times, this could result in a recount of major races. Under Arizona Law, a recount is required in any race if the percent difference between two candidates is less than 0.5 after votes are counted. Lake currently trails her opponent Katie Hobbs by 17,428 votes, a difference of 0.6 percent. As for the Attorney General’s race, a recount is guaranteed at this point. Democrat Kris Mayes leads Abe Hamadeh by only 850 voters, putting the two in a statistical tie.
Furthermore, the office of Arizona’s current Attorney General opened an inquiry into Maricopa County’s handling of the 2022 General Election. The letter demanded a full report on tabulator and printer issues seen on election day and alleged that the county engaged in improper behavior. The county has until November 28th to provide the requested materials.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Kelli Ward” by Dr. Kelli Ward. Background Photo “Arizona State Capitol” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
