In Arizona GOP Gubernatorial Forum, Candidates Stake out Far-Right, Unpopular Positions and Ignore the Issues Facing Arizona
The latest Arizona GOP Gubernatorial forum was a complete and utter dumpster fire, with the candidates either focusing on spouting off illogical, radical opinions or beating each other up.
From election fraud conspiracies to extreme anti-choice positions, each candidate tried to outdo one another on the far-right’s greatest hits. Let’s take a look:
On the 2020 election: Trump-endorsed candidate Kari Lake said “Joe Biden is our president, just like O.J. Simpson is innocent.” Karrin Taylor Robson echoed Lake’s claims, saying, “this last election was not fair,” and “the wrong guy is in the White House.” Former congressman Matt Salmon went further, saying, “the Democrats didn’t just start cheating on elections…it’s been happening for a long time.”
On reproductive rights: Every single candidate on the stage said they believed Roe v. Wade should be overturned.
On LGBTQ+ issues: The candidates universally opposed legislation banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, with Kari Lake saying such legislation is “poisoning the minds of our people.” Matt Salmon, who has openly opposed marriage equality took the opportunity to voice his support for the defendant in the U.S. Supreme Court case who refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple in Colorado.
And on each other: Kari Lake accused Matt Salmon of lobbying for the Chinese Communist Party. Salmon responded by accusing Trump-endorsed Kari Lake of campaigning for and contributing to Barack Obama. Karin Taylor Robson also went after Lake, calling her the “purveyor of fake news.”
“The candidates in the GOP field look more like they’re competing to be the next OANN commentator rather than Arizona’s next governor,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “This field has completely abandoned the issues that matter in favor of taking up unpopular, radical opinions. With the far-right collision course they’re currently on, Republicans are making sure voters know the eventual GOP nominee for their divisiveness, extremism, and out-of-touch positions above anything else.”