PHOENIX— After losing her 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary race to Kari Lake by the slimmest of margins. Attorney Karrin Taylor Robson has endorsed her former primary opponent in this year’s high-stakes U.S. Senate Race and could be angling for another run for governor of Arizona in 2026.
During that election, President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Lake appears to have made the difference. Now, with Mrs. Lake running for Senate and the two politicians having made nice (Robson endorsed Lake), Mrs. Robson is in a political pole position to run for Governor again in 2026 against Democrat incumbent Gov. Karen Hobbs
While there are a handful of Republicans who are thinking about running for governor, Robson is seen in political circles as the most formidable, viable, and electable Republican candidate for governor in the Grand Canyon State.
Cactus Politics recently sat with Mr. Robson to discuss a possible run for governor, as well as issues affecting Arizonans.
Since we are a month out from the 2024 Presidential election, it was a given that we would ask Robson for her take on the upcoming election between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
With the most recent public opinion polling showing an Arizona shift in favor of President Trump, Robson pointed to the economic pressures that voters have been facing during President Joe Biden’s first and only term in office.
“I think at the end of the day people are gonna vote on the economy. right? Right, the economy stupid. You know there's some people in America that are doing well, but most people in America are getting crushed by Bidenomics, by you know, 20% increase in the cost of goods in 3 1/2 years,” said Robson.
Robson added that the “11 rate (Interest) increases” over the past few years have overburdened Americans and that voters will be voting in November on the “kitchen table issues” that have been affected by Bidenomics.
“We've had we had four years of Trump and the Trump economy and we've had you know 3 1/2, nearly four years of Bidenomics, and it's pretty clear, one approach works for the American people and one approach doesn't work,” added Robson.
Aside from the state of the economy, the one issue that has driven the 2024 presidential election has been illegal immigration.
According to Robson, the security issues that complement the illegal immigration crisis along the border with Mexico are a “driving force of the election cycle” that has people “scared.”
“You know the other night I needed to go to the to the pharmacy —it was 8/30 9:00 at night —for the first time in my life I thought,’ Oh maybe I shouldn't go out by myself,” Robson recalled. “both economic security and physical safety and security is on everybody's mind.”
Leadership
“The States have to force Washington to do more,” said Robson. “They (Founding Fathers) left a lot of power to the states. The states need to exercise that power.”
When asked if the current state leadership was doing a good job at protecting Arizonans, Robson didn’t flinch, and stated, “Absolutely not.”
Robson added that she believes Gov. Hobbs “clearly hasn’t been effective.”
“Governor Hobbs finds herself in a predicament because she isn’t going to go against her party’s leadership and their nominee for president, the Border Czarina, has been a complete disaster,” she added. “She’s either incompetent or for open borders.”
“On the Czarina’s watch, by the time she’s done, there will be nearly half a million people dead because of the fentanyl coming across this border.”— Karrin Taylor Robson
Recently, Robson took a pound of flesh from Vice President Harris during rally with Sen. J.D. Vance in Arizona.
Winning
Republicans usually can’t find that political “loving feeling” after primary elections like Democrats do. And every election cycle, “Republicans need to figure out how to win,” as Robson adds.
When asked how Republicans win, Robson stated:
You have to try to rise above the vitriol that we've had now, not just Arizona, its all over the country. And again, I think it's fomented in large measure by foreign adversaries and we're letting it happen…Democrats tend to be better campaigners . We're not as good at counting votes like the Democrats are —they tend to not even campaign right they campaigned from the basement— but they're really good at turning out votes.”
Running in 2026
We asked Robson the $10 million question, and like a good, disciplined politician, Robson didn’t not give a straight answer, she did outline what she would do, or let me rephrase, what needs to be done in the coming months and years in Arizona.
Robson focused on the “need to strengthen and support” for local law enforcement agencies, who are “suffering because of the stresses” those officers pursuing a career in law enforcement are enduring on a daily basis.
“They are under attack. They don't believe anybody has their back. You know there are attempts to eliminate their, you know qualified immunity ,so they they go out and every door they knock on or every car they go up to their they they run the risk of not going home that night,” added Robson. “It's a tough job. We don't pay them enough need to know their leaders have their back.”
