Arizona Republicans elect former Trump official Jeff DeWit to become next party chair, will replace Kelli Ward

Republicans in Arizona appointed Jeff DeWit because the occasion’s subsequent chairman Saturday. The choice comes as Republicans within the battleground state hope to unite below new management and win again statewide elections.

DeWit, a former Trump aide who labored on each of his presidential campaigns, will exchange Kelli Ward, a Trump ally who has embraced and echoed his election denial claims. 

He gained 70% of the votes over a number of different nominees, together with Steve Daniels, who vowed to drastically change the state’s election system by requiring all votes to happen in individual on in the future, with ballots counted by hand.

“I’ll be just right for you, and we’re going to unify,” DeWit stated after his victory. “And we’re going to get again to beating Democrats and profitable elections.”

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DeWit was supported by Kari Lake, who misplaced the race for governor however grew to become an influential voice within the occasion; Mark Finchem, a former candidate for secretary of state; retired Gen. Michael Flynn and others. 

Lake stated DeWit additionally acquired a last-minute endorsement from Trump, however the former president didn’t put up the endorsement on social media, which he often does.

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Throughout Ward’s four-year tenure as occasion chair, Republicans misplaced three U.S. Senate races and elections for governor, secretary of state and legal professional common. She has known as for Arizona Lawyer Common Mark Brnovich to research newly elected Gov. Katie Hobbs for potential wrongdoing throughout her marketing campaign. She has additionally confronted criticism over the occasion’s spending.

Arizona Republican occasion chairwoman Kelli Ward speaks throughout a get out the vote marketing campaign rally on November 07, 2022 in Prescott, Arizona. 
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Pictures)

DeWit was elected state treasurer in 2014 and resigned in 2018, simply earlier than his time period ended as he was confirmed as chief monetary officer of NASA below Trump. He led Trump’s Arizona marketing campaign in 2016 and was chief working officer of Trump’s 2020 marketing campaign.

Arizona Democrats elected Yolanda Bejarano, a senior nationwide official within the Communications Staff of America union, to be their occasion chair.

The choice was the primary contested election for the Democratic chair in 12 years. 

Bejarano was backed by a lot of the state’s elected Democrats, however Hobbs supported Steve Gallardo, the one Democrat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

U.S. Sen. Kyrtsen Sinema, D-AZ, speaks at a information convention after the Senate handed the Respect for Marriage Act on the Capitol Constructing on November 29, 2022 in Washington, DC. In a 61-36 vote, the measure would supply federal recognition and safety for same-sex and interracial marriages. 
(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Pictures)

Outgoing Democratic Chair Raquel Teran declined to run for one more time period. She can be seeking to run for the U.S. Home seat being vacated by Rep. Ruben Gallego, who’s operating for the Senate. The seat is safely Democratic.

The 2024 election consists of a number of races with nationwide implications together with the presidential race and unbiased Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s seat. 

The Related Press contributed to this report.