Grand Old Picnic: Governor joins Republicans at annual Mohave County gathering
KINGMAN — It was no surprise that Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has his favorite candidate in the race for the U.S. 4th Congressional District.
“The Republican is my favorite,” Ducey said, during Saturday’s 74th annual Mohave County Republican picnic and fundraiser at Hualapai Mountain Park near Kingman.
“I am going to stay out of the primaries, which are decided by the people,” Ducey added. “I just want to make sure the Republican candidate wins in November.”
Although the governor was coy about who he thought should fill Sen. Jeff Flake’s seat following his retirement from Congress in January, nearly all the other candidates who attended the Republican picnic, threw their support behind former state senator Kelli Ward.
U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Arizona is happy to count himself among a Ward supporter.
“What she says, she does,” Gosar said. “That’s really important right now. You can’t have people who waffle and that fall in line with the swamp.”
Ward is running against U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and two write-in candidates, Nicholas Glenn and William Gonzales.
Gosar singled out immigration as a weakness of McSally.
“Martha’s got some issues that she’s been very flip-floppy on, and that’s not something we can actually have in Congress,” Gosar said. “Kelli’s the gal that I’m backing and I think she will do well against Rep. Krysten Sinema.”
Jennifer Jones-Esposito, also running her own campaign to unseat incumbent Rep. Regina Cobb, R-Kingman, from the Arizona 5th Legislative District, is “absolutely, 100 percent” for Ward.
“She’s always been approachable, genuine and interested in what the people have to say,” Jones-Esposito said. “She has her finger on the pulse; she’s worked hard and is the real deal.”
Jones-Esposito also criticized McSally – who was conspicuously absent from the Republican picnic – as a “clone” of Flake, and of Arpaio as a candidate without enough financial backing or the ability to beat Sinema in the general election.
“This needs to be a female catfight to the end, no-holds barred, cut it lose and let it happen,” said Jones-Esposito.
Meanwhile, Arpaio said his campaign is going “great.”
“I’ve got a lot of support and endorsements coming out of the woodwork,” Arpaio added.
Ward was pleased with all of the support at the event.
“We are positioned exactly in the right place to win the primary decisively and go very strong into the general election,” she said. “After the November election, the people will have a senator they deserve and can be proud of.”
Throwing her support for other candidates, Ward is cheering on Cobb for re-election.
“She fought against red light cameras, fought for the Constitution and has been very strong on water,” Ward said. “We need trained problem solvers and Regina certainly is one.”
