In Arizona, Trump’s false claims have opened up a GOP split

PHOENIX (AP) – Arizona Gov. Doug Duchy has spent most of Donald Trump’s presidency, not to provoke conflict with the president or his radical bodyguards. He almost did it.

But when state law required Douglas to certify the results of Arizona’s presidential election and sign Trump’s defeat last week, four years of loyalty was not enough to protect him from the presidency. “Republicans will be remembered for a long time!” Trump tweeted angrily at the governor.

Since then, the episode has sparked a public and politically damaging controversy between Doozy and Trump loyalists influential in his own party. Those who believe Trump’s unproven fraud claims and those who support his attempt to undermine the will of the electorate say that Doozy has betrayed his party. His bodyguards dismissed the critics as “nuts.”

This split may be a foretaste of the lasting political impact of Trump’s campaign to overturn the election results. As the president’s unsubstantiated claims drag on with many GOP voters, Republican office-bearers will be asked to take sides – either withdraw Trump or admit the fact that Biden won an election without widespread allegations of fraud. Their choices could have long-term consequences for their own political futures.

“He’s in an invincible position on many fronts,” said Doug Cole, a Republican political adviser and adviser to past governors, who is widely believed to be bidding for the Senate or even the White House.

Ducey was one of two GOP governors who faced Trump’s setback after certifying Biden’s victory in their states. Georgia’s GOP government Brian Kemp signed on to Trump’s loss and refused to approve of Trump’s attempts to overturn the results. In response, Trump slammed him.

But many GOP governors and lawmakers have questioned whether Biden will win, with some saying they will wait until Jan. 6, when Congress will approve the election college referendum.

It didn’t take long for Doozy to find himself in a split center. Trump called Ducey while the governor was on a mission to sign a certificate of Arizona’s election results in front of television cameras. The governor quickly pulled his phone out of his suit jacket, calmed it down and put it on the table as the president played the anthem “Hello First Lady.” He then returned Trump’s call, but refused to tell reporters what they discussed.

A few hours later, Trump began his test against Dosi on Twitter, which seemed to open the floodgates for his staunch supporters.

Kelly Ward, the firebrand leader of the Republican Party of Arizona, said he was “disgusted” with Dougie and addressed him on Twitter with the caption “Shut up hell.”

At a news conference, Doozy applauded again: “Emotion is mutual … Practice what you preach.”

Ducy’s advisers opened up to the governor’s critics on Twitter. Daniel Scorpinado, the leader of his staff, and Andy Pix, a Republican from Arizona, have been called the “nuts” and “permanent resident of Gracetown” leading the conservative Independent Caucasus. Kirk Adams, the former president of Doosi, told a state legislator pushing for a reversal of the election results: This may help. ”

On Wednesday, Pix released an online op-ed on Wednesday, “Government. Doozy has affected the Republican cause. ”

Republican political adviser Barrett Marson did not think Ducey’s problem with the conservative GOP base would last.

“Donald Trump’s tweets are coming and going,” said Marson, who worked on a political action committee with Ducy to select Republican lawmakers. “The governor has been a supporter of the president’s agenda, his economic policies and more. This one hiccup will not move that relationship forward.”

After ousting Trump during the 2016 campaign, Ducy’s allies in the Arizona business community came to embrace him despite Trump’s policies being complicated. When Trump noticed the closure of the southern border, a move that could be catastrophic in a state with strong economic ties with Mexico, Doozy backed him.

Doosey has always been admirable, as Arizona became a major oscillating state in the 2020 tournament and Trump made a series of visits. The president turned his back on Doozy’s handling of the corona virus, calling it a model for other states.

But a few days before the election he warned that his support would only go so far.

“Are we okay Duck? Are we doing well? Trump said at a rally in the conservative city of Bullhead. “I would be very angry at Duck if I didn’t get there.”

After Biden’s short victory in Arizona, Doozy never gave credence to the conspiracy theories that the president, his lawyers and allies allegedly cheated. However, he waited three weeks to acknowledge Biden’s success, which he only did when pressed several times by an interviewer. He challenged those investigating the election results to present their evidence in court.

As the spread of the corona virus intensifies, Doozy began earlier this year from parts of his party base when he ordered businesses to close to protect the hospital’s capacity and safety equipment. But he has so far maintained strong support from the president.

Ducy, who has been barred from running for governor again by time constraints, faces a crossroads in his political future. Audiences in Arizona have long speculated on what he wants to do next. The loss of Trump deprives him of the opportunity to seek administrative work in Washington.

He could run in the U.S. Senate against newly elected Democrat Mark Kelly, but will certainly face a primary challenge from the right, especially if his relationship with Trump weakens.

“In the short term, when the president hurts anyone … there’s a group of Republicans out there who will go wherever the president goes,” said Mike Noble, a Phoenix pollster and former GOP political adviser. “The question is, do those people stick with it or not.”