Karrin Taylor Robson announces run for Arizona governor, touting Trump endorsement
Karrin Taylor Robson announces run for Arizona governor, touting Trump endorsement
Karrin Taylor Robson is making her long-rumored candidacy official: She is running for Arizona governor next year.
In announcing her second bid for the state's top post, the Republican businesswoman on Wednesday highlighted Donald Trump's endorsement, strongly linking herself to the president and his tough-on-the-border policies.
'I thank President Trump for his strong endorsement and look forward to working with him to secure our border and make Arizona safe again,' Taylor Robson said in a prepared statement.
She mentioned Trump's name no less than seven times in her five-paragraph announcement. She made it clear she has her sights set on the November 2026 election, when she hopes to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
'Katie Hobbs has made it harder to live, work, and raise a family safely in this state. Like President Trump, I know how to create jobs," Taylor Robson said in the statement. "And like President Trump, I will not rest until our border is secure and Arizona families are safe.'
Trump's immigration policies and Elon Musk draw protesters in Phoenix
People march, chant with signs in protest to President Donald Trump's policies in Phoenix on Feb. 5, 2025. (Obscenities on signs were blurred.)
Taylor Robson, 60, sought the GOP nomination for governor in 2022 but lost to Kari Lake, who went on to lose by a narrow margin to Hobbs in the general election.
In addition to border issues, Taylor Robson said she would focus on economic growth, innovation, and traditional values.
A Phoenix native, Taylor Robson founded and is president of Arizona Strategies, a land use firm. Her career has included work on a number of master-planned communities and commercial properties in the state.
She was a member of the Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees the state's three public universities, and has served on numerous education-related boards.
Most recently, Taylor Robson has flexed her financial muscle in the political realm. She launched Arizona PAC, which poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into legislative campaigns last year, helping Republicans expand their majorities.
In the news release, she said she helped raise more than $1 million for Trump campaigns in 2016 and 2020 and actively campaigned for him last year. She also participated in an Arizona roundtable event with then-vice presidential nominee JD Vance.
Her announcement made no reference to U.S. Congressman Andy Biggs, who last month announced he would seek the GOP nomination for governor next year.
Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on social media @maryjpitzl.
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