PHOENIX — Karrin Taylor Robson was the first major challenger in Arizona's gubernatorial race, armed with what she calls a "game changer" — President Trump's endorsement.
"Having President Trump's complete and total endorsement is a game changer," Robson said. "If I had his endorsement last time, I'd be sitting here as your Governor today."
Robson announced her candidacy in February and began airing campaign ads shortly after — exceptionally early by conventional standards.
"Because I love this state. I'm very thankful for the opportunities that this state has provided me since I was a very young girl," Robson said when asked why she wants the job.
She added that she wants "the same Arizona - the Free State - where if you work hard and treat people well, you can accomplish anything."
Housing crisis solution focuses on supply
Robson's platform addresses Arizona's housing affordability crisis by targeting what she sees as supply constraints implemented by the current governor.
"Our current governor has constrained the supply. One of the first things she did when she became governor was to create a growth moratorium in the highest growth areas in the Phoenix metro area," Robson said. "And when you constrain a supply and you've got greater demand than supply, the prices go up. And so that upward pressure on housing has made our housing crisis in Arizona worse."
Her solution involves promoting more development for the growing Valley.
Water management amid growth concerns
With a background in real estate development, Robson believes Arizona can balance growth with water conservation.
"Well water is a defining issue for the future of Arizona," she said.
Robson pointed to conservation successes, noting that "we are using less water today than we did 70 years ago, even though our population has increased fivefold."
"So what we need is leadership that can negotiate at the negotiating table on the cutbacks to the Colorado River," she said.
From Colorado River negotiations to new conservation technology, Robson wants Arizona to build more water infrastructure to bring water where it's most needed.
Education focus on reading proficiency
Addressing Arizona's often dismal national education rankings, Robson plans to prioritize reading skills.
"The number one thing I'm going to focus on is reading proficiency, because if we can improve that, a lot of other things will be improved along the way," she said.
She advocates returning to phonics-based reading instruction.
"Many people learned how to read using phonics, and it works. Why we changed our, you know, the methodology? I don't know, but it's not working, and our kids deserve better," Robson said.
Dual Trump endorsement creates unusual situation
President Trump has also endorsed Congressman Andy Biggs, creating an unusual dual endorsement scenario.
"Well, you know, the President has done dual endorsements before. In fact, he's done them right here in Arizona," Robson said when asked how voters should interpret this.
"But at the end of the day, my name is on the ballot, and so I'm making my case to the people of Arizona, and I'm very proud to have his endorsement, but at the end of the day, they will, they will cast their vote for who they prefer," she said.
Trump's previous dual endorsement in Arizona occurred in the Republican primary for Congressional District 8, where Blake Masters faced eventual winner Abe Hamadeh.
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