Trump slams Ariz. governor, a former ally
Ducey certifies election, confirms win for Biden
President Donald Trump publicly lashed out at Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday, contending the Republican leader and Trump supporter “betrayed the people of Arizona” by certifying an election that didn’t go the president’s way.
Trump unleashed a series of blistering posts on Twitter a few hours after Ducey and other state officials signed off on Arizona’s general election results, confirming Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the once reliably Republican state.
“Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office?” Trump asked, including a clip of Ducey discussing getting Sen.-elect Mark Kelly sworn in as soon as possible. “Especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now.”
By “hearing,” Trump meant the public meeting between his campaign lawyers and a handful of state lawmakers 2 miles from the Arizona Capitol. In front of an audience that included at least two Arizona congressmen, the president’s team claimed election fraud and urged the Legislature to throw out the state’s results.
“What is going on with @dougducey?” Trump continued on Twitter. “Republicans will long remember!”
The president reposted a claim from a conservative cable host that Ducey “betrayed the people of Arizona,” commenting, “TRUE.” He shared a post that asked, “Who needs Democrats when you have Republicans like (Georgia Gov.) Brian Kemp and Doug Ducey?”
Trump reposted a fictional exchange in which Kemp said Georgia had run “the most corrupt election in American history,” and Ducey responded with, “Hold my beer.”
President made expectations clear
As Ducey signed the certification documents Monday, his cellphone buzzed with the ringtone of “Hail to the Chief.” Ducey said he set that for calls coming from the White House. Monday, he muted the ring tone and set the phone aside, continuing to sign documents that made Trump’s loss official.
Later Monday, Ducey posted several times on Twitter, defending his actions in certifying the vote and defending election integrity in Arizona, which has a long history of voting by mail and laws to prevent voter fraud. He didn’t mention the president or his comments.
“The problems that exist in other states simply don’t apply here. I’ve also said all along, I’m going to follow the law. So here’s what the law says,” Ducey wrote.
“It requires the Secretary of State, in the presence of the Governor and the Attorney General, to canvass the election on the fourth Monday following the general election. That was today. This can ONLY be delayed if counties DECLINE to certify their results. ALL 15 counties in Arizona – counties run by both parties – certified their results. The canvass of the election triggers a 5-day window for any elector to bring a credible challenge to the election results in court. If you want to contest the results, now is the time. Bring your challenges. That’s the law. I’ve sworn an oath to uphold it, and I take my responsibility seriously.”
When Trump visited Arizona before Election Day, the president made it clear he expected Ducey to deliver the battleground state’s 11 electoral votes. “I’m going to be so angry, Doug, if we don’t get there,” he said at a Bullhead City rally.
Ducey avoided sowing doubt about the state’s election system, as Trump encouraged Republicans to do, though he took weeks to publicly acknowledge Biden’s win.
“In Arizona, we count votes received up until Election Day. That’s it,” the governor said in a social media post in early November. “No judges have intervened, and no last-minute changes have been enacted. We’re following established Arizona election law to the letter.”
Trump waited until election lawsuits unsuccessfully worked their way through Arizona courts and state officials certified results to publicly unload on Ducey.
“Such total corruption,” Trump wrote Monday evening. “So sad for our country!”
Rise and fall of Trump and Ducey
Ducey’s support for the president was at an all-time high leading up to the election, having evolved since the early days of Trump’s candidacy. The governor did not personally welcome or meet with the presidential hopeful when he visited Arizona in 2015.
After Trump won the Republican nomination, Ducey walked a tightrope between conservatives who backed Trump and others who found him too extreme. He began forging a closer relationship with the president in 2018.
When Trump visited Arizona to stump for U.S. Senate candidate Martha McSally that year, Ducey briefly took the microphone to credit the president with “how far we’ve come as a state and a country.”
“Two years ago, families and small businesses were getting crushed,” Ducey said, trading his typically reserved demeanor for a fired-up growl. “Today, under President Trump, our economy is booming, thanks to historic tax reform. Washington was on a regulation binge, destroying jobs and killing innovations.”
Trump similarly warmed to Ducey, inviting the governor to White House functions over the next two years. During an event to honor immigration and border officials, Trump applauded the “great job” the governor did securing the Arizona-Mexico border.
Late this summer, White House officials held up Arizona as a leader in COVID-19 containment measures, and the president said Ducey had “done an incredible job” controlling the virus.
Ducey flew to Washington to watch Trump accept the Republican presidential nomination and appeared at his Arizona campaign events, feeding speculation that he would jump ship for a Cabinet position if Trump won reelection.
It’s unclear what the governor might pursue when his last gubernatorial term comes to an end in two years, and many Republicans are unhappy with his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s probably safe to assume it won’t involve Trump. “Watching the Arizona hearings and then watching Gov. Ducey sign those papers,” the president retweeted Monday, “Why bother voting for Republicans if what you get is Ducey and Kemp?”