Matt Salmon: lost Gov’s race to dem in 2002, back again

Republican State Treasurer Kimberly Yee is the top choice for conservatives

The list of those tossing their hats in Arizona’s gubernatorial ring is growing. Mercifully, Gov. Doug Ducey, a McCain loyalist, is term limited. The list of candidates aspiring to assume the Ninth Floor office grows as quickly as the inflated egos of many of the hopefuls. Among them, newsreader Kari Lake who worked for a local television station, and Karrin Taylor Kunasek Robson, married to developer Ed Robson, whose political donations to Ducey ensured her a seat on the AZ Board of Regents. Steve Gaynor, who previously waged an unsuccessful bid for Secretary of State has now announced.

Former Congressman Matt Salmon leads the list of head scratching aspirants. He is notable for losing the governor’s race in 2002 to radical leftist Janet Napolitano, who then left midterm to join the Obama administration as Director of Homeland (in)Security. Her lack of commitment for that post was best summed up in her own quote regarding Arizona’s porous border as governor: “Show me a 50-foot wall and I’ll show you a 51-foot ladder.” Napolitano was succeeded by then-Secretary of State, Republican Jan Brewer.

Salmon went on to lobbying, equivocating, denying, then admitting, his involvement in what became known as Obamacare, as reported by the New Times in 2012. Although he refers to himself as a “proven and committed conservative fighter for Arizonans,” he never touches the fact that before he lobbied on behalf of ASU and was involved in the controversial Confucius Institute, covered by the Arizona Daily Independent. His most unsavory gig was hawking e-cigarettes as the President of the Electronic Cigarette Association. Not surprisingly, the site has been taken down, but the harmful effects of vaping, which has become increasingly popular with teens who opt for flavored products, is as dangerous as cigarette smoking. As a member of the LDS Church, Salmon obviously knows that use of tobacco products are in direct opposition to the church’s Doctrine and Covenants (Section 89), which he arrogantly disregards.

The current updated list of official 2022 candidates can be seen on Ballotpedia.

The conservative with an actual track record is former state Representative and Senator and current AZ State Treasurer Kimberly Yee.  Read her remarkable accomplishments on behalf of the people of Arizona. She’s a wife, mother of two, smart, knowledgeable and has a proven track record of service, winning every election in which she has run. She was tapped to speak at the 2016 Republican National Convention (link). Her brief convention speech is well worth watching.