Curt Flewelling – FISM News
Former President Donald Trump and his Vice President Mike Pence are finding themselves at odds once again. The latest example of their conflict is their dueling endorsements in Arizona’s upcoming GOP gubernatorial primary.
The two headlined separate political rallies just hours apart, with Trump endorsing former T.V. anchor Kari Lake while Pence backed business owner and former staffer for President Ronald Reagan, Karrin Taylor Robson. The two candidates are almost indistinguishable on many policy issues, but like the former occupants of the White House, their differences seem to be more style-related.
The relationship between the two men has remained chilly ever since that fateful January day when Vice President Pence did not comply with his boss’s wishes and certified the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The Arizona endorsements highlight the ongoing difference in vision and rhetoric between the two Republicans. The type of candidates the two men endorse and the manner in which they endorse them contrast wildly at times.
Taylor Robson’s style is very tempered and measured as she touts her conservative bona fides in a substantive, forward-looking way. Her narrative seems to mirror that of Mike Pence, who has contrasted her style with Lake, who routinely uses Trumpian verbiage, referring to the GOP as the “Uniparty” and their supporters as “swamp donors.”
At a recent Taylor Robson rally, Pence jabbed at both Lake and Trump when he said, “There are those who want to make this election about the past. When you get out and vote for Karrin Taylor Robson, you can send a deafening message that will be heard all across America that the Republican Party is the party of the future.”
In contrast, Lake has adopted Trump’s seeming fixation on the past. The former president routinely suggests that Pence’s inaction on January 6 has somehow led to the dire situation that the country now faces. Trump said, “What a difference it would have made if the State Legislatures had another crack at looking at all the fraud, abuse, and irregularities that have been found. Our country would have been a different place!”
This is not the first time that the former allies endorsed competing candidates.
In May, Trump backed Senator David Perdue in the Georgia GOP gubernatorial primary, as he was still fuming over what he perceived as Governor Brian Kemp’s lack of help in investigating voting irregularities in the state. Pence’s endorsement of the sitting governor seemed to be the wiser choice as Governor Kemp prevailed by a whopping 73% to 22% margin.
Whether this continued tension is merely sour grapes over the 2020 presidential election certification or inner-party jockeying from two men with future presidential aspirations, only time will tell. But for now, the saga continues.