Karrin Taylor Robson, a Republican running for Arizona governor, has suspended her campaign.
“This decision was not an easy one. I love Arizona deeply. It is the greatest state in our country, and I would do anything to protect it from the growing radicalism of the left,” Robson said.
“But we cannot afford a divisive Republican primary that drains resources and turns into months of intraparty attacks. It only weakens our conservative cause and gives the left exactly what they want: a fractured Republican Party heading into November. With so much on the line in 2026, I am not willing to contribute to that outcome,” she continued.
“While I am stepping back from this race, I am not stepping back from the fight for Arizona’s future,” Robson added.
Thank you, Arizona ❤️ pic.twitter.com/htJcrtMsSX
— Karrin Taylor Robson for AZ Gov (@KTaylorRobson) February 12, 2026
More from The New York Times:
Ms. Taylor Robson, a wealthy developer and lawyer who had gained a reputation as a moderate Republican even as she worked to appeal to the party’s pro-Trump wing, had trailed Representative Andy Biggs in most primary polls. Though she earned Mr. Trump’s early endorsement, he later also bestowed his support to Mr. Biggs, who is far more aligned with the MAGA base that has determined recent Republican primary elections in Arizona.
Her decision to suspend her flagging campaign was a second humbling repudiation by the party’s base, four years after it picked Kari Lake, a pro-Trump firebrand and former news anchor, over Ms. Taylor Robson in a bitter primary fight. And it is a sign that the moderate brand of Republican politics long embodied by Senator John McCain of Arizona, who died in 2018, is no longer palatable to the state’s primary voters.
“I want to thank Karrin Taylor Robson for a well-run campaign and for her many contributions to keeping our state red. Her experience as a businesswoman brought a valuable perspective to the race and her deep love for Arizona and its future has always been evident. Cindy and I send our best wishes to Karrin and her family in their next chapter,” Biggs said.
“This is a critical time for our party to unite and avoid a costly, divisive primary as the weak and ineffective Katie Hobbs continues to hurt Arizonans. Our campaign is now the only campaign endorsed by President Trump and Charlie Kirk, as well as dozens of state legislators and leaders across Arizona. We intend to win and defeat Katie Hobbs in November, but the time for Republicans to unite behind our campaign is now,” he continued.
I want to thank Karrin Taylor Robson for a well-run campaign and for her many contributions to keeping our state red. Her experience as a businesswoman brought a valuable perspective to the race and her deep love for Arizona and its future has always been evident. Cindy and I… https://t.co/sLhNFG8Azn
— Andy Biggs (@andybiggs4az) February 12, 2026
Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) is another candidate in the Republican primary, trailing behind Biggs in the polls.
Axios shared further:
Schweikert called her a “good conservative” who “played an important role in so many Republican victories through the years,” in a statement provided to Axios.
Hobbs’ campaign manager Nicole DeMont said in a press statement that Robson “saw the writing on the wall and knows that Gov. Katie Hobbs is going to win re-election.”
It’s unclear whether Robson will endorse another candidate in the race.
