Republican Kelli Ward, the former state lawmaker who lost her U.S. Senate primary bid this year, is starting another campaign.
Ward launched her candidacy Monday for chair of the Arizona Republican Party, saying she is a unifying figure who can bring the party together “and usher in an overwhelming 2020” — with victories at every level of government. President Donald Trump will be at the top of the ticket in 2020, as well as another U.S. Senate seat.
Ward, an osteopathic physician, excites Republican base voters but does not enthuse the more moderate, establishment wing of the state party, which may back another candidate to try to deny her the chair when votes are cast in January.
“The Party of Lincoln and Goldwater should be one that is led by the grassroots,” Ward, 49, said in a statement to The Arizona Republic. “Unfortunately, over the last four years, the grassroots within the Republican Party have been silenced and disenfranchised both nationally and at the state level in Arizona.
