Arizona GOP in Turmoil Following Chair's Resignation and Trump's Canceled Visit

The state party faces financial struggles and internal conflicts as it prepares for the upcoming elections.

Arizona GOP chair Jeff DeWit resigned over a leaked recording that appeared to reveal him offering a bribe to Republican Kari Lake not to compete for the state's Senate seat in November.
Donald Trump canceled his visit to Arizona, citing a scheduling conflict with a court appearance. The event, AZGOP Freedom Fest, was canceled after Trump backed out of it.
Trump's withdrawal comes one day after Jeff DeWit resigned as chair of the Arizona Republican Party in the wake of a bombshell tape capturing him offering senatorial hopeful and Trump ally Kari Lake a big-money job of her choosing to drop out of politics for two years.
DeWit's departure shakes up the state’s Republican Party in a battleground state that will be front and center in the fight for control of the White House and the Senate in the November election.
Arizona Republicans have been struggling with money problems. In March 2023, the party had $50,000 in cash reserves, which isn’t much to fund expenses such as payroll, rent, and campaign operations.