Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday reaffirmed his decision not to run for the Senate this year, striking a blow at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and cheered former President Donald J. Trump, who had been warning Mr. Ducey to stay for months. out of the race.
Mr. Ducey, whose term is limited by the governor, was one of the most sought-after Republicans Mr. McConnell tried to recruit. In a letter to donors, Mr. Ducey appeared to hint at Mr. Trump’s attacks, saying, “These days, if you’re going to run for public office, you have to really want the job.”
Angry that Mr. Ducey did not reverse Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s narrow statewide victory in 2020, Mr. Trump went on a rampage for more than a year, complaining about Mr. Ducey’s confirmation of the election results and threatening him with a Senate race. .
“Right now I have the job I want,” wrote Mr. Ducey, “and I intend to end my years of service in Arizona with a very productive final legislative session and help elect Republican governors across the country as chairman. Republican Association of Governors.
Mr Ducey’s decision was long overdue. For months, he’s been telling press reporters and courting Republicans that he has little desire to challenge Senator Mark Kelly, a first-term Democrat.
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That didn’t stop Mr. McConnell, whose attempts to recruit two other Republican governors, New Hampshire’s Chris Sununu and Maryland’s Larry Hogan, were also rebuffed.
Taken together, the rejections illustrate the difficulty Republicans in the Senate face trying to lure mainstream conservative governors to work for a party still in Mr. Trump’s shadow and in a polarized capital that can offer fewer political decision-making opportunities than buildings. states. Moreover, many state leaders are more interested in the presidency than in the Senate.
“By nature and training, I am a leader,” wrote Mr. Ducey, who reflected in an interview last month that senators seem to only “tweet all day, break news at 5:00 p.m., and walk the rest of the night.” . “.
Given President Biden’s declining approval rating and Arizona’s centre-right bias, Republicans can still reclaim Mr. Kelly’s seat, previously held by Senator John McCain.
It’s unclear which of the remaining Republicans will be in the best position to defeat Mr. Kelly, who started the year with $18 million in campaign cash. Attorney General Mark Brnovich led several lesser-known Republicans in some polls ahead of the August primary, but the race was frozen as GOP officials pleaded with Mr. Ducey to run.
A parade of prominent Republican leaders, including former Presidents George W. Bush and Karl Rove, as well as Mr. McConnell and his deputies, lobbied for the Arizona governor, and some polls showed Mr. Trump’s influence in the primaries was declining.
Plenty of anti-Trump Republicans believed that Mr. Ducey, a popular two-term governor and former head of the Cold Stone oil mill, would be their party’s strongest nominee and would also send a signal that they thought the influence Mr Trump is shrinking.
“MAGA will never allow RINO Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona to run for the U.S. Senate,” Trump said in a statement last month after a Times article detailed courting the governor. “So save your time, money and energy, Mitch!”
In Mr. Ducey’s letter Thursday, first reported by The Arizona Republic, he did not directly mention Mr. Trump. But the governor singled out Mr. McConnell, who was his most ardent persecutor.
“The only downside to all of this is that I would be honored to serve with Senator Mitch McConnell,” he wrote. “I consider him a historic figure and one of the titans of the Senate, and I support everything he does to elect Republican senators and return control to Chuck Schumer.”
Mr. Ducey, who became close to Mr. McConnell when they decided together who would be appointed to succeed Mr. McCain after his death in 2018, also indicated in the letter that he was considering a “possible weigh-in” with approval in Senate Primary.
For his part, Mr. Trump did not formally interfere in the primaries—at least not in support of a candidate.