Arizona GOP torched by local columnist for taking ‘a dive down the rabbit hole’ on conspiracy theories

Republican candidates running to be governor in Arizona were ridiculed on Tuesday for failing to "embrace reality."

Laurie Roberts' new Arizona Republiccolumn on the 2020 gubernatorial campaign is titled, "Arizona's GOP candidates for governor seem determined to hand the job to Democrats."

"Of the five Republicans running for governor, not even one of them will acknowledge that Joe Biden won Arizona last year," she wrote. "They've all taken a swan dive down the rabbit hole — though some more deeply than others — into a curious and confusing world where down is up and black is white and everyone plays to the fantasy that a giant conspiracy robbed Trump of Arizona's vote."

The 2022 gubernatorial campaign is an open seat as Gov. Doug Ducey is barred by term limits from seeking a third term.

Roberts noted local Fox reporter Kari Lake has falsely claimed "Trump was the real winner of Arizona." She noted that state Treasurer Kimberly Yee, former state Rep. Matt Salmon, and businesspersons Karrin Taylor Robson and Steve Gaynor all declined to answer the question, "Who won the presidential election in Arizona?"

Roberts argued the approach will push moderates away from Republicans in the 2022 midterms.

"Everyone wants a Trump endorsement therefore no one is willing to tell the former emperor to put some damn pants on," she explained. "Meanwhile, they ignore the thousands of moderately conservative Republican and GOP-leaning independents who elected Biden, not because they are becoming Democrats but because they simply could not vote for Donald Trump."

On the Democratic side, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Holmes, state Rep. Aaron Lieberman, and former Nogales Mayor Marco López, Jr. are all seeking the nomination.