The candidate who had the backing of former US President Donald Trump (2017-2021), Kari Lake, was declared the winner of the Republican primaries in the state of Arizona this Thursday, and will compete in the November elections to be the next governor.
The race for the Republican nomination for the Government of Arizona was debated between Lake, supported by Trump, and Karrin Taylor Robson, backed by former Vice President Mike Pence.
The vote was held on Tuesday, but the counting of the votes has taken two days, given the close results, with Lake and Robson alternating in first place as the count progressed.
Lake will face Democrat Katie Hobbs in the November general election in the fight to succeed the current governor, Republican Doug Ducey. Hobbs won the Democratic nomination by defeating Latino Marco López.
The Republican contest for the state government captured national attention because it faces candidates supported respectively by Trump and Pence, estranged since the end of their term in the White House in January 2021.
Lake promised during the campaign a strong hand on the border with Mexico and assured that there was electoral fraud during the 2020 presidential elections, in which Trump lost to current President Joe Biden, of the Democratic Party.
Analysts believe that the close Republican race in Arizona shows a clear division in the party between those who remain faithful to Trump and those who move away from their positions.
In another tough race, Blake Masters, also backed by Trump, won the GOP nomination to face Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, in November. That contest is decisive to define which party will have control of the federal Senate after the November elections.
Among the Latino candidates, Daniel Hernández did not obtain the necessary votes to win the Democratic nomination to represent the state in the federal House of Representatives.