Doug Ducey comes back to Trump after defying him in 2020 and certifying election

Former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is endorsing former President Donald Trump and U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake in the 2024 election, saying he is putting “differences aside.”

Ducey once denounced Lake’s election denialism and defied Trump’s request to overturn the results of the election in Arizona, where President Joe Biden won the state in 2020. Ducey was governor of the state from 2015 to 2023. 

“I will be voting for Republicans up & down the ballot in November — and both Donald Trump and Kari Lake have my endorsement,” Ducey said in his endorsement via a series of posts on X. “Differences aside, there is too much on the line and only a Republican in the White House and a majority in the House and US Senate can ensure it.”

It is a switch from 2020, when Ducey refused to overturn the election results and Trump said he “betrayed the people of Arizona.”

In 2020, Ducey famously silenced an incoming call from Trump while he was certifying the election results in Arizona. It was known the call was from Trump because Ducey previously said that “Hail to the Chief” was his ringtone for incoming calls from Trump. When “Hail to the Chief” played, Ducey was seen pulling his phone out of his jacket, silencing it, and putting it aside. 

“The President has got an inquisitive mind,” Ducey said a few days after speaking with Trump. “And when he calls, he’s always got a lot of questions, and I give him honest answers, direct feedback, and my opinion when it’s necessary. And that’s all I’m going to say about it.”

While Ducey declined to explain the exact exchange during the call, those familiar with the conversation told the Washington Post that Trump talked about his shortcomings in Arizona and explained a range of false claims that he overwhelmingly won the election there. He encouraged Ducey to look into his baseless claims, including that noncitizens voted and there were dead voters who had cast ballots.

“What is going on with [Doug Ducey]? Republicans will long remember!” Trump said on Twitter, which is now X, in 2020.

At a Republican donor dinner, Ducey described the “pressure” he felt from Trump after Trump lost the state. 

During the 2022 gubernatorial election in the state, when Ducey was term-limited, he endorsed Lake’s primary opponent, Karrin Taylor Robson, and said Lake was “misleading voters” by claiming the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. Now, he has endorsed her for Senate. 

“Kari Lake is misleading voters with no evidence,” Ducey said at the time on CNN. “This is all an act. She’s been putting on a show for some time now, and we’ll see if the voters of Arizona buy it.”

Lake will face Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in November in the state’s Senate race. She was pleased with her endorsement, highlighting his time as governor and saying he “transformed our economy and our education system” and “made Arizona a destination again.”

“Doug Ducey supports me because he knows it’s never been more important to unite all Arizonans and win big in November. Thank you Governor!” Lake said in a written statement.