Karrin Taylor Robson dropped out of the Arizona Republican gubernatorial primary despite being one of the two candidates in the race backed by President Donald Trump.

“After deep reflection, prayer, and many conversations with my family, I have decided to suspend my campaign for Governor,” Robson said in a statement posted to X on Thursday.

She explained that she does not want to contribute to a contentious GOP primary. 

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“We cannot afford a divisive Republican primary that drains resources and turns into months of intraparty attacks. It only weakens our conservative cause and gives the left exactly what they want: a fractured Republican Party heading into November. With so much on the line in 2026, I am not willing to contribute to that outcome,” she noted in the statement.

Robson did not make an endorsement.

“I remain committed to helping Republicans win in 2026 and to ensuring Arizona remains strong, safe, and free for generations to come,” she noted in the statement.

Trump had pledged to support her for governor in 2024. 

“Are you running for governor? I think so, Karrin, cuz if you do, you’re gonna have my support,” Trump said at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in December 2024.

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Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., launched a gubernatorial bid in January 2025, and Robson launched her bid in February 2025 — but in April 2025, Trump made the unorthodox move of announcing that he endorsed both of them.

“I like Karrin Taylor Robson of Arizona a lot, and when she asked me to Endorse her, with nobody else running, I Endorsed her, and was happy to do so. When Andy Biggs decided to run for Governor, quite unexpectedly, I had a problem — Two fantastic candidates, two terrific people, two wonderful champions, and it is therefore my Great Honor TO GIVE MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT TO BOTH. Either one will never let you down. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump declared in an April 2025 Truth Social post.

In 2022, Robson lost the GOP gubernatorial primary in Arizona to Kari Lake, who went on to lose the general election to Democrat Katie Hobbs.

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Hobbs is seeking re-election this year.

Rep. David Schweikert, R-Arizona, is another Republican seeking the Grand Canyon State governorship.

TUCSON, Ariz. — The FBI’s decision to increase the reward for information on Nancy Guthrie’s whereabouts is drawing analysis from multiple former FBI officials, who say the move reflects both strategy and investigative progression nearly two weeks into the case.

Retired Supervisory Special Agent of the FBI Scott Duffey told Fox News Digital that the increase may be designed to target someone close to whoever is responsible.

“I believe this is the right time to increase the reward,” Duffey said. “My belief is the FBI started high to attract a family member, friend, or colleague of the attackers. The public is typically there to help regardless of an award.”

Drawing on his experience working fugitive cases involving smaller rewards — typically between $2,500 and $5,000 — Duffey said valuable tips often came from insiders.

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“When I worked crimes with lower-level reward amounts, the contacts were from friends or family members. This was typically in fugitive work,” he said.

He noted that the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list carries million-dollar rewards for the same reason.

“You are seeking ‘inside’ information,” Duffey said.

ELITE FBI VIDEO UNIT THAT WORKED KOHBERGER CASE SPOTTED AT NANCY GUTHRIE HOME

While leads in the Guthrie case appear steady, Duffey cautioned they may not be meaningful.

“Leads are steady, but probably bogus leads or leads that are considered little value,” he said.

He also emphasized that reward money alone does not solve cases, pointing to a Brown University case that was ultimately resolved because someone “just did the right thing,” not because of reward money.

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Former FBI agent Nicole Parker said increasing the reward is fundamentally about motivating stronger tips.

“So people are more inclined to give more information because if they get more money, then it might be worth it for them,” Parker said. “They’re hoping to generate more quality, credible tips that might lead to the arrest and the location of Nancy Guthrie. And that’s all it comes down to.”

Parker also suggested the move may counter outside attempts to monetize information — referencing a person who allegedly sought Bitcoin in exchange for details.

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Former FBI supervisory special agent Joe Cardinale described the increase not as desperation, but as a natural escalation.

“It’s just a progression of events,” Cardinale said. “You’re now into day 13, almost two weeks into this investigation. We still do not have Nancy Guthrie back.”

Cardinale said increasing the reward may prompt people to re-check security footage and reconsider small details.

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“Increasing it just makes people want to go out there, look at their cameras more, do what they have to do and say, ‘Listen, I’m going to check my cameras. I’m going to see what happens.’”

He also addressed speculation surrounding the Bitcoin demand.

“If I have information, this is how this works,” Cardinale explained. “You contact the FBI. They keep it quiet. If your information leads to the arrest of that person, you’re assigned a number, and you get that money.”

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He noted that legitimate reward procedures prevent extortion attempts.

“If someone is demanding Bitcoin upfront and doesn’t have information, they can be arrested for extortion,” he said.

Cardinale also pointed to investigative developments on the ground.

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“They’re extending the perimeter of their search,” he said, suggesting investigators may be working to eliminate the possibility that another individual seen near a vehicle, possibly carrying two backpacks, is connected.

If that person was located miles away from the original scene, Cardinale said investigators would need to rule it out.

“They should be using dogs, drones, helicopters if they have to, and do grid searches,” he said. “This time they’ll be looking for evidence along the way as well.”

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Cardinale also noted investigators appear to be carefully protecting forensic details, including measurements and physical comparisons gathered from surveillance footage.

“They don’t want anybody knowing what they’re zeroing in on,” he said.

Nancy Guthrie disappearance timeline:

January 31, 2026

Between 9:30–9:45 p.m. – Family drops Nancy off at home

9:50 p.m. – Garage door closes (per authorities)

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February 1, 2026

1:47 a.m. – Doorbell camera disconnects

2:12 a.m. – Security camera detects motion

2:28 a.m. – Pacemaker disconnects from phone application

11:56 a.m. – Family checks on Nancy after she misses weekly church livestream gathering

12:03 p.m. — 911 called

12:15 p.m. — sheriff’s deputies arrive at home

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.

TUSCON, Ariz. — Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said that his department did not recover a glove from Nancy Guthrie’s home and rejected reports of friction between his office and the FBI.

“We have no glove. We never found a glove on that property,” Nanos told Fox News Correspondent Matt Finn in an interview Friday.

Nanos also forcefully denied claims that his department has not been cooperating with federal authorities.

“That’s absolutely crazy,” he said when asked about reports that he was reluctant to involve the FBI. “Why would we be reluctant to get all the partners who have great resources and offer them to us?”

He added: “We don’t hold information from anybody that’s going to help us. Why would we do that? There are no egos here. This is all about finding Nancy.”

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Nanos said he contacted the FBI the next working day after Guthrie went missing and said that federal agents are embedded with his team.

“They sit right next to the FBI. Come to my office, and I’ll show you — they’re sitting right there with my team,” he said. “They are there every minute of the day, and they want to find her.”

On the handling of evidence, Nanos defended his department’s decision to use a long-standing private lab rather than splitting evidence between facilities, including the FBI’s crime lab in Quantico, Virginia.

He said the Guthrie family DNA markers and other swabs were already sent to that lab early in the investigation, making it more efficient to continue using the same facility.

“Why split your evidence to two different labs that could create a conflict, but more importantly, it adds that additional step?” he said. “This lab has this piece; this lab has that piece. Now they’ve got to converge those two pieces to make an elimination or identification. No, just send it to one lab, let’s go.”

“They’re both great labs. They both have great equipment and smart people. We trust the FBI’s crime lab. We’ve used them before. But in this case, we just started with this lab,” he said. “It’s just that simple.”

Regarding ransom notes, Nanos said the FBI is taking the lead.

“All the ransom stuff we’ve given to the FBI — they’re the experts on that,” he said. “It would be very inappropriate for me to comment on something that I told them to do.”

Authorities “believe it’s a kidnapping,” Nanos said, while saying that investigators are considering all possibilities.

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“You always consider all possibilities,” he said. “But yeah, the obvious is what? It is an obvious kidnapping.”

When asked whether anyone has been ruled out, Nanos said investigators may deprioritize individuals but remain open to revisiting leads.

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“Nobody’s really ever eliminated,” he said.

The sheriff also rejected criticism that investigators released the crime scene too soon.

“We remove the evidence, we swab evidence, we take evidence, and we go,” he told Finn. “We got all the evidence that was there to gather.”

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Cleaning blood from a scene, he added, “is not what we do.”

Nanos said deputy vehicles currently stationed outside the home are there at the family’s request for security.

Those cars “are there because the family said they can’t — they don’t want to be at the house and they’ve asked, can we provide security, so nobody breaks into the home,” he said.

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Nancy Guthrie disappearance timeline:

Jan. 31, 2026

• Between 9:30–9:45 p.m. — Family drops Nancy off at home
• 9:50 p.m. — Garage door closes (per authorities)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Feb. 1, 2026

• 1:47 a.m. — Doorbell camera disconnects
• 2:12 a.m. — Security camera detects motion
• 2:28 a.m. — Pacemaker disconnects from phone application
• 11:56 a.m. — Family checks on Nancy after she misses weekly church livestream gathering
• 12:03 p.m. — 911 called
• 12:15 p.m. — Sheriff’s deputies arrive at home