The candidate backed by former President Donald Trump in the Arizona Republican gubernatorial is losing her lead.
Former FOX 10 anchor Kari Lake earned Trump’s endorsement in the race. While she holds the lead in the Republican race for governor, it’s not as big as it was a month ago, according to the latest poll from Arizona Public Opinion Pulse (AZPOP) conducted by OH Predictive Insights (OHPI).
Lake led the poll with 21% support – a seven-point drop from her support in the same poll conducted in November. Meanwhile, former Congressman Matt Salmon has gained six points in that span; he had 17% support in the poll. Salmon represented the state’s First District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001 and its Fifth District from 2013 to 2017.
They were the only two candidates in the race to crack at least 10 percent support. Meanwhile, 46% of Republican primary voters are still undecided, according to the poll. The primary will take place on August 2, 2022.
The competitive Republican primary comes as incumbent Gov. Doug Ducey is ineligible to seek a third consecutive term under Arizona law.
On the Democratic side, the primary is far less competitive. Secretary of State Katie Hobbs leads the pack with 46% support. Former Nogales Mayor Marco Lopez (9%) and former state representative Aaron Lieberman, D-Paradise Valley, at 5%, are a distant third and second in the Democratic primary, respectively.
The poll also found that a generic Republican has a slight edge over a generic Democrat in the race, but many voters still don’t know who they would support. While 39% say they’d back a Republican and 35% say they’d vote for the Democrat, 26% are unsure how they’ll vote.
The poll was conducted between Jan. 11 and 13; it surveyed 855 registered Arizona voters. The poll’s margin of error is 3.4%.
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
