Entrepreneur Karrin Taylor Robson suspended her campaign for governor of Arizona on Thursday afternoon.
“This decision was not an easy one,” she said.
In a statement posted on X, Taylor Robson said she came to this decision “after deep reflection, prayer, and many conversations with” her family.
“But we cannot afford a divisive Republican primary that drains resources and turns into months of intraparty attacks,” Robson said.
“It only weakens our conservative cause and gives the left exactly what they want: a fractured Republican Party heading into November,” she added. “With so much on the line in 2026, I am not willing to contribute to that outcome.”
This marks the end of Robson’s second campaign for governor. She first ran in 2022, losing to Kari Lake, the senior adviser for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, in the GOP primary.
Robson’s timed exit
Robson’s decision comes exactly a year after she launched her campaign in February 2025.
In the months prior, President Donald Trump, during an appearance at Turning Point USA’s AM Fest, had asked Robson if she was running for governor.
“I think so, Karrin, because if you do, you’re going to have my support,” he said.
But she wasn’t the only Trump-endorsed candidate in the race. In April 2025, Trump also endorsed Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.
Other candidates for governor react
As she exited the race, Robson did not endorse either of the two well-known GOP candidates — Biggs and Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz.
Biggs thanked Robson “for a well-run campaign and for her many contributions to keeping our state red” in a post on X.
“Cindy and I send our best wishes to Karrin and her family in their next chapter,” said the Arizona congressman.
Making a call for unity, Biggs wrote, “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.”
Incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs’ campaign issued a statement, saying, “Robson saw the writing on the wall and knows” that Hobbs will win her reelection bid. The statement touted Hobbs’ “bipartisan record of lowering costs, securing the border, and protecting health care.”
“No matter who emerges from this chaotic primary, we will stay focused on building a winning coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who believe in putting Arizona first,” the statement added.