Primary campaign season was in full swing on Friday and a pair of dueling rallies threw into stark contrast some of the choices voters have in the Aug. 2 election. 

On Friday morning, a crowd of several hundred packed into a West Valley gun shop to eat tacos and hear from GOP gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson, Gov. Doug Ducey and former Vice President Mike Pence. Meanwhile, candidates on the Arizona Trump slate, including Taylor Robson’s opponent Kari Lake, were getting ready for an arena rally with former President Donald Trump in Prescott. 

Taylor Robson is Ducey’s preferred successor and his endorsement of her in the Republican primary has put him at odds with Trump, who endorsed Lake last year, in a high-profile race that could shed light on the future of the GOP. Pence, who is reportedly considering a run for president in 2024, recently endorsed Taylor Robson as well. 

At TYR Tactical in Peoria, Ducey and Pence touted Taylor Robson’s conservative credentials.  

“She’ll fight for your safety, your individual liberties and your economic prosperity. She’s a rock-ribbed conservative that is pro-life, pro-gun and pro-wall,” Ducey said. 

Without mentioning her name, the governor threw a jab at Lake, who was once a registered Democrat. 

“She didn’t just arrive on the scene and she doesn’t make things up… Karrin didn’t just convert to the Republican cause,” Ducey said. 

Both men also criticized the leadership of President Biden and argued that Taylor Robson will “stand up” to Biden and the “radical left” in Washington.  

“Arizona, and America, needs strong, proven conservative leaders that fight back against the Biden Harris administration. Arizona needs Karrin Taylor Robson,” Pence said.  

But in a sign of the sometimes-blurry divide between factions of the GOP, Pence praised Taylor Robson for her past support for both him and Trump.  

“No one worked harder for the Trump-Pence ticket in 2016 or in 2020 than Karrin Taylor Robson. She volunteered, she helped raise millions of dollars for our campaign,” he said. 

In her speech, Taylor Robson painted a grim picture of Arizona and the nation.  

“Everywhere you turn the state that we love and the conservative values we hold dear are under attack. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have turned their backs on the Border Patrol and handed control of our southern border to the cartels. Illegal crossings are at their highest level. Meanwhile, the smugglers pump drugs, fentanyl into our neighborhoods, leaving a trail of death destruction and sorrow,” she said. “Even our schools have been turned over to the woke Marxists trying to indoctrinate our children,” she added later. 

Most of the speaking time was given over to Pence, who talked for 21 minutes. Taylor Robson spoke for 10 minutes and Ducey spoke for six. Beau Lane, a GOP candidate for Secretary of State who’s running with Ducey’s endorsement, was sitting at a table with Taylor Robson and the governor on Friday but didn’t participate in the event. 

Pence also used the opportunity to make some folksy jokes.  

“The good thing about no longer being Vice President is you get to drive your own car – bad part is you get to pay for your own gas,” he said. 

After the Peoria event, Pence, Ducey and Taylor Robson were set to travel to Tucson for an event at the Tucson Border Patrol station. 

By early Friday afternoon, some candidates had arrived at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott for the Trump rally, set to start at 7 p.m. The Right Side Broadcasting Network was streaming a video of audit-affiliated correspondent Christina Bobb talking to candidates including Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, who’s running for Secretary of State. 

The national media took notice of the drama playing out around the state. More than a dozen TV crews were set up at TYR tactical on Friday, with some reporters flying in to cover the event for national outlets. GOP consultant Chuck Coughlin said on Wednesday that he’d been fielding lots of calls from reporters asking about the events.  

“I can’t tell you how many (journalists) I’ve spoken to today. We’re the center of the political world,” he said. 

Ahead of Republican rallies on Friday, Democrats implored Republicans to watch the January 6 hearings and turn away from Trump- or Pence-endorsed candidates in the upcoming primary election. 

The Democrats sought to break down the distinction between the Republican factions attacking each other on Friday.  

“It’s no secret that Donald Trump and Kari Lake have been vocal conspiracy theorists, pushing disproven lies about the 2020 election and sowing doubt about future ones,” Democratic spokeswoman Josselyn Berry said in a news release. “But Karrin Taylor Robson has also consistently said she doesn’t trust the results of the 2020 election and has refused to say if she would certify Arizona’s 2024 election if she were governor.” 

Party Chair and Sen. Raquel Terán, D-Pheonix, Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo, and attorney general candidate Kris Mayes spoke in front of the Sandra Day O’Connor federal courthouse Friday morning to push the same message, charging that Trump, Pence and their candidates are responsible for limiting abortion choice in Arizona and across the country.  

“Make no mistake; Pence and his candidates are just as extreme, anti-choice and dangerous for Arizona as Trump’s and his cronies,” Terán said. 

Democrats also chided Taylor Robson on Twitter on Friday after progressive lobbyist Geoff Esposito posted flight logs showing a private jet owned by Taylor Robson’s family’s business had flown 11 minutes from Scottsdale to Glendale that morning – suggesting Taylor Robson was traveling to Friday’s events by plane. 

Arizona Capitol Times reporter Camryn Sanchez contributed to this report