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On Wednesday, State Senator Dr. Kelli Ward announced that she is “in it, to win it,” and is resigning her seat in the Arizona Senate to launch a full-scale challenge to Senator John McCain. Ward said she can “truly look out for the interests of Arizona by devoting my abilities full time to defeat John McCain.”
“I will leave my elective position as Arizona State Senator for District 5 effective at the end of this month. Believe me, I will miss taking on the responsibilities of this important position, authoring important legislation, working with my colleagues, and fighting for the people of my district and the state of Arizona,” said Ward in a statement released Wednesday. “But, I can be more effective and accomplish those same goals by curbing federal interference and creating an easier pathway for reform in the Arizona legislature as a United States Senator.”
“I have been encouraged and gratified by the enthusiastic and positive reaction I’ve received from long time supporters, fed-up former McCain allies, and new found friends who have consistently encouraged me,” concluded Ward.
State Representative Sonny Borrelli, and former state senator “all hat, no cattle” Ron Gould have already filed as candidates for Ward’s the Legislative District 5 seat in the 2016 election. County supervisors will choose Ward’s replacement for the remainder of her time from three candiates recommended by Republican precinct members in her district.
Related article: AZGOP Reacts To “Anyone BUT Senator John McCain” Resolution
In November, A.J. LaFaro, a precinct committeeman and popular former chairman of the Maricopa County Republican Party, announced a proposed resolution entitled “AZGOP State Committeemen Endorse Anyone BUT Senator John McCain,” to be considered a vote at the party’s annual meeting in January.
McCain has lost Republican Party support across the board, but it is his war on grassroots Republicans that has captured national attention time and time again over the years. Despite the establishment’s effort to squash opposition to McCain, in 2014, party members voted to censure the senator for his “long and terrible record.”
The “resolution is exactly 250 words and is being submitted at least 45 days before the Arizona Republican Party’s (AZGOP) Annual Meeting being held on January 23, 2016. I expect the resolution be immediately forwarded to the AZGOP Resolutions Committee Chairman and Committee Members no later than December 7, 2015,” according to an email from LaFaro.