PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey spent much of Donald Trump’s presidency trying not to provoke confrontation with the president or his fervent defenders.
He almost made it through. But when state law required Ducey to certify Arizona’s presidential election results and sign off on Trump’s defeat last week, four years of loyalty wasn’t enough to protect him from the president.
Trump tweeted, “Republicans will long remember!” Since then, the episode has spiraled into a public and politically damaging dispute between Ducey and influential Trump loyalists in his own party.
The rift may be a preview the lasting political impact of Trump’s campaign against democracy.
