The Arizona Republican Party has voted to publicly punish Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, former Sen. Jeff Flake and Cindy McCain for opposing Donald Trump‘s efforts to overturn Joe Biden‘s victory.
Biden was victorious in Arizona last fall, the first time a Democrat has carried the state in a presidential election since Bill Clinton won the state in 1996. Democrat Mark Kelly also defeated Sen. Martha McSally in the U.S. Senate race.
The censuring of the three Republicans is due to a variety of personal “failures,” according to the state party.
Ducey was censured for imposing emergency rules in response to COVID-19, the party claiming that these orders to contain the virus violated the Constitution and amounted to the governor enacting “dictatorial powers.”
Sara Mueller, Ducey’s political director discounted the power of the state party’s actions. “These resolutions are of no consequence whatsoever, and the people behind them have lost whatever little moral authority they may have once had,” she said.
McCain, the widow of the late Sen. John McCain, who endorsed Biden during the election, was censured for supporting “leftist causes” and failing to support Trump. Flake was also condemned for supporting Biden.
Flake tweeted a picture of himself with McCain and Ducey at Biden’s Inauguration, with the words, “Good company.”
“Foolish. It’s foolish,” says Glenn Hamer, former executive director of the Arizona Republican Party. “Parties that want to be successful bring people together and expand the number of people who are attracted to the party. What’s going on with the leadership at the AZ GOP is the exact opposite. It’s self-destructive.”
The state party has also re-elected controversial chairwoman Kelli Ward.
Ward spoke to the Arizona Republicans at the Dream City Church in Phoenix, appearing publicly unconcerned about warnings from moderates. She ended her speech ahead of the member voter for party chairwoman with, “Make America Great Again,” followed by a recorded audio message from Trump giving Ward “total endorsement.”
Numbers compiled by the Arizona Secretary of State’s office show that from January 6 through January 20, more than 8,000 Republicans requested to change their party registration from Republican to Independent, Democrat or Libertarian.
