NEW: Trump-Endorsed Candidate Launches Campaign To Flip Swing State Red

A Trump-endorsed businesswoman is laying the groundwork to take back the governor’s mansion for Republicans in a swing state won by President Donald Trump last year.

On Wednesday, Karrin Taylor Robson announced her campaign for governor of Arizona, catapulting herself into the top tier of closely watched candidates in the 2026 election cycle. The pro-Trump business owner received the president’s endorsement in December of 2024, giving her a massive leg up in the state’s Republican primary.

“I thank President Trump for his strong endorsement and look forward to working with him to secure our border and make Arizona safe again,” Robson said in a statement shared with the DCNF. “Katie Hobbs has made it harder to live, work, and raise a family safely in this state. Like President Trump, I know how to create jobs. And like President Trump, I will not rest until our border is secure and Arizona families are safe.”

“Katie Hobbs and Joe Biden’s insane agenda has made life more expensive and dangerous,” Robson continued. “I will fight every day alongside President Trump for stronger borders, a stronger economy, and a stronger Arizona.”

Robson will likely run against Democratic incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has suffered a number of self-inflicted political wounds since taking office in 2023. She has been accused by Republicans of orchestrating a pay-to-play scheme with the owner of a chain of local foster homes.

In the run-up to the 2024 election, Hobbs tangled with former GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and local Republican election officials in the populous Maricopa County, who claimed that voter fraud was undercutting their efforts to conduct a fair election. Last year, Lake ultimately lost her second bid for office in the state’s race for U.S. Senate.

Robson, who lost to Lake in the 2022 Republican primary, benefits from jumping into the race first but also faces the possibility of another strong primary contender. Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ), the former chair of the House Freedom Caucus, is also mulling a run.

On Wednesday morning, Robson released a social media video touting her support from President Trump.

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Cook Political Report rates the race for Arizona governor as a “toss-up” currently, but Republicans have notched the most wins in recent history. Four of the past six governors going back to 1991 have been Republican.

Hobbs won her first race by less than 1 percent, leading Lake to launch a flurry of litigation contending that voter fraud in places like Maricopa County unfairly cost her the election. She ultimately lost all cases and appeals, but her legacy lives on.

Last year, an “administrative error” in Maricopa County led 97,000 residents to receive the wrong election ballot. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that all affected voters could ultimately vote, but it didn’t stop Republican election officials from suing to ensure that non-citizens were prohibited from doing so.