Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey Will Not Run for Senate: ‘I Have the Job I Want’

Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey ended months of speculation by saying he will not run for U.S. Senate this year against Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly. The latter’s reelection could potentially decide which party controls the evenly split chamber.

“I have the job I want,” Ducey wrote to donors in a letter, first reported by the Arizona Republic, confirming that he would not run for Senate, thus ending the speculation and push from national and local Republicans to run against Kelly.

The report noted that the prospect of a Ducey running has potentially suppressed donations and endorsements from key Republicans because none of the current candidates have stood apart in fundraising and a prominent political profile — something Ducey could have done by entering the race.

Ducey, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), asked his donors to help him elect and back whomever the Republican nominee will be, not himself.

“Right now I have the job I want,” Ducey wrote in his letter to donors, Arizona Republic reported. “My intention is to close my years of service to Arizona with a very productive final legislative session AND to help elect Republican governors across the country in my role as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.”

Ducey also did not indicate his next political move as he has passed up the push from national and local Republicans to run against Kelly. He noted that the next steps in his career would be a decision he and his wife will make while he spends his current time working for people in the Grand Canyon State.

 

“I’m going to dedicate 100% of my energy to fulfilling the commitments I’ve made, both to the citizens of Arizona and to my colleagues at the RGA,” he wrote. “Angela and I will decide what comes next after that.”

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter.