THATCHER — A trip to the Gila Valley to speak with residents face-to-face has paid dividends for one candidate for governor.
Following Monday’s Lincoln Day Luncheon hosted by the Graham County Republican Party, GOP gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson received endorsements from Graham County Supervisors John Howard and Danny Smith, retired Supervisor Jim Palmer, Thatcher Mayor Randy Bryce and former Graham County Republican Party chair John Duane Rhodes.
Howard and Smith previously endorsed state Treasurer Kimberly Yee before she dropped out of the race for governor.
Robson is in a crowded field in the GOP primary for governor, with Steve Gaynor, Frank Konarski, Kari Lake, Scott Neely and Matt Salmon also running on the Republican side. She was the only candidate to attend the local luncheon.
Gaynor, Lake and Neely do not list endorsements on their campaign websites. Konarski’s website displays letters of endorsement from working professionals, including a number of attorneys and an architect. None are from the current year, with some dating as far back as 1992.
Salmon lists a large number of endorsements, including seven sitting U.S. senators, three sitting members of Congress, four state senators, five members of the state House and 12 mayors from across the state. However, none of the endorsers are from Graham or Greenlee counties, although former state Rep. Becky Nutt, who now lives in Cochise County, has publically endorsed Salmon.
The endorsements are not necessarily translating into fund-raising, at least at this stage of the campaign season.
Gaynor leads the Republican pack with $5 million in contributions through Jan. 15, followed by Robson with $3.7 million, Lake with $1.5 million, Salmon with $1.2 million, Neely with $37,472 and Konarski with $625.77.
On the Democratic side, Aaron Lieberman, who attended Saturday’s Graham County Democratic Party Rose Mofford Dinner, lists endorsements by five current members of the State House and one former representative. None are from the Graham/Greenlee area.
The other Democratic candidates — Katie Hobbs and Marco Lopez — do not list endorsements on their campaign websites.
Hobbs, the incumbent Secretary of State, leads the Democrats in fund-raising with $2.4 million in contributions through Jan. 15, followed by Lieberman with $1.2 million and Lopez with $1.1 million.
