The fightback against Donald Trump in Arizona

Steve Bannon has called the governor race in the state the ‘purest in the country for showing Maga versus the Republican establishment’, writes Chris Stevenson

A defeat for his chosen candidate would take a chunk out of the former president’s political capital (AP)

It is Donald Trump – and his supporters – against the world. This is the way the former president has always styled his political career, and it shows no sign of changing as Trump tries to keep hold of his influence over the Republican Party ahead of another potential White House run in 2024.

The latest battlefield for the GOP establishment versus Trump is the Arizona governor’s race. The state’s current governor, Doug Ducey, announced on Thursday that he was backing Karrin Taylor Robson in the Republican primary – which is set for 2 August – over Kari Lake, who is supported by Trump. Lake, a former TV anchor, has questioned the result of the 2020 election, in which Trump was beaten by current president Joe Biden. Lake called it “disqualifying” and “sickening” when her rival candidate failed to show support for the false claim, promoted by Trump, that the election was stolen.

Ducey’s announcement means that the governor race in Arizona is the third swing-state primary – following those in Georgia and Pennsylvania – in which establishment Republicans have sought to go against Trump and his candidacy pick. Trump is still extremely popular in Arizona, with three out of four likely Republican voters in the state viewing him favourably, but whether figures like this can translate into actual wins at the ballot box is a question that is increasingly asked by sections of the Republican Party.