Republican leaders, including Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and others who have backed candidates not endorsed by former President Trump, are trying to prevent a Trump rally from going ahead in Arizona.
The movement is part of an increasingly powerful push by establishment Republicans to support the Arizona gubernatorial candidacy of housing developer Karrin Taylor Robson against Trump backed candidate Kari Lake, a former TV news anchor, the Associated Press reported.
Other Republicans behind Robson include former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, an alignment similar to the manner in which a group of GOP leaders helped incumbent Georgia Governor Brian Kemp defeat a Trump endorsed primary opponent.
"In Arizona, people are independent minded, much like they are in Georgia, and they pick the person that they think will be best for the responsibility," Ducey told the Associated Press. "In Georgia, the voters said Brian Kemp, and I'm hopeful in Arizona, they'll say Karen Taylor Robson."