PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has notified Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell that he won't enter his state’s high-profile Senate contest.
That's a disappointing development for establishment Republicans who saw Ducey as their best hope to defeat Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly this fall.
Ducey’s decision was confirmed by a person with direct knowledge of the conversation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private talk.
Ducey also notified donors of his decision in a letter, as first reported by The Arizona Republic.
Ducey’s decision marks another significant recruiting failure for McConnell and his allies, who also could not persuade Republican governors to enter Senate contests in New Hampshire and Maryland.
On Thursday, ABC15 obtained the following letter from Gov. Ducey to his supporters regarding his decision:
When asked about a potential run for the US Senate in January 2021, I gave a simple answer: “No."
In the intervening months a number of people have asked me to reconsider. I’m honored by the confidence and interest you’ve shown in my public career, and I want to explain why my mind hasn’t changed.
When I first contemplated running for public office one of the first people I reached out to was Sen. Jon Kyl. When considering how best I could serve, he asked a simple question: “Are you an executive or are you a legislator?”
The answer was obvious – by nature and by training I’m an executive. And that led me to run for Treasurer and ultimately Governor instead of seeking federal office. It was a great question and the answer is as true today as it was more than a decade ago.
These days, if you’re going to run for public office, you have to really want the job. Right now I have the job I want, and my intention is to close my years of service to Arizona with a very productive final legislative session AND to help elect Republican governors across the country in my role as chairman of the Republican Governors Association. These are tasks I’ve committed to and I’m going to dedicate 100% of my energy to fulfilling the commitments I’ve made, both to the citizens of Arizona and to my colleagues at the RGA. Angela and I will decide what comes next after that.
Rest assured, I am fully committed to helping elect a Republican US Senator from Arizona. Given what’s happening in Washington it’s imperative for our party to take back both the Senate and US House to act as a constitutional brake on the excesses and bad policies of the Biden administration. We have a strong field of candidates in Arizona and I will be actively supporting our nominee – and perhaps weighing in before the primary.
The only downside about any of this is that it would be an honor to serve with Sen. Mitch McConnell. I consider him an historic figure and one of the Titans of the Senate, and I am supportive of everything he’s doing to elect Republican senators and wrest back control from Chuck Schumer.
Thank you for your support and for reading this. Angela and I are grateful for all you’ve done to help us, and I just wanted you to hear from me directly.
Thank you,
Doug
