RGA in Disarray: Doug Ducey’s Power Slips as Donald Trump Endorses Another Challenger to a Sitting GOP Governor

RGA Chair Doug Ducey is fighting a losing battle to protect his GOP incumbent governors and wrestle control of his organization away from Donald Trump.

The former president once again endorsed a GOP challenger to a sitting Republican governor in Idaho, picking Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin over Gov. Brad Little. McGeachin is best known for undermining Little whenever he leaves the state, when McGeachin seizes the opportunity to take full advantage of her powers as acting governor and implement policies Little disagrees with before he comes back.

Trump also recently endorsed a GOP primary challenger in Massachusetts, where he refused to support incumbent Gov. Charlie Baker, saying Baker has “done nothing for the Republican Party.” 

Trump’s endorsement of GOP primary candidates is making GOP governors extremely vulnerable to attack. But the infighting doesn’t stop there. Trump has also gone after GOP governors Mike DeWine, Brian Kemp, and Ducey himself, who has consistently been unable to protect his incumbent governors from Trump’s wing of the party — much less the party’s leader himself.

In Texas, Greg Abbott’s competition for the support of the MAGA base just got a little tougher, when former top Trump advisor and Q-anon conspiracy theorist Michael Flynn announced he’s endorsing one of Abbott’s primary opponents. And in South Dakota, one of the state’s most conservative lawmakers just announced he’s launching a primary challenge against Kristi Noem from the right.

It’s no secret how Donald Trump feels about Ducey. Trump has repeatedly attacked him, labeling him an “unelectable RINO”. Now, Ducey’s terrible standing with the former president is leaving him powerless to stop these attacks from within his own party.

The DGA is compiling the many chapters in the saga of Ducey and Trump’s vicious feud — and how it’s spelling trouble for Republican governors — on the site RGAindisarray.com.

“Donald Trump has made it his personal mission to undermine Doug Ducey’s authority, and Ducey is powerless to stop these brutal attacks on Republican governors — whether they’re from top Trump allies, far-right GOPers, or from Trump himself,” said DGA Communications Director David Turner. “The RGA was vulnerable enough without this endless saga of infighting, but they’re in for a particularly rough upcoming cycle if the leader of the party and the leader of the RGA can’t work out their ongoing differences.”