As Gov. Doug Ducey prepares to transfer power to Democratic successor Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs, The Republic revisits his two terms in office.
, and a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice. It kept Arizona in the punchline of late-night talk show jokes and headlines of exhaustive national media attention. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately struck down parts of the law but kept other controversial portions intact.
Gov. Doug Ducey answers questions during a press conference in front of a border gap near the Morelos Dam covered by shipping containers on Sept. 8, 2022, near Yuma.Ducey's efforts to change the perception of the state also meant dealing with a Legislature where some members put forward extreme bills, oftentimes on border or social policy issues, that seemed stuck in the prior era.
And Ducey’s business ties would, at various times throughout his eight years, raise concern about his motives and whether he was prioritizing his allies and donors. Asked about that criticism, Ducey's spokesperson C.J. Karamargin said,"We will dismiss that out of hand." But there was work left to do, and Ducey turned to his wife, Angela, and three sons to get their support for another four years.
Those dinners are one of the things “that I to this day still pinch myself and have a tough time believing that I was part of, given my background coming from Toledo, Ohio,” the governor said.“I wanted to put it to my family," he said. “I said if I am reelected, I'll be able to take all of you to a White House dinner … if that sounds good. And all the boys were in favor.”
“I'm very comfortable talking to somebody in the private sector, often more at ease talking to somebody in the private sector than I am talking to someone in the state Legislature," Ducey said."I know what motivates a business leader. I don’t always know what motivates a politician.” “I don’t think we could have had a better salesman for the state of Arizona," said former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, a Republican who has advised Ducey, and whom Ducey chose to temporarily fill the Senate seat after the passing of U.S. Sen. John McCain.In October, Arizona led the nation in year-over-year job growth in manufacturing and health care and social assistance fields.
Earlier this year, a state auditor general report found those raises amounted to about 16.5%, falling a bit short of the governor's goal, which Ducey aides blamed on districts diverting money to administration costs. Ducey"is a dedicated public servant with a record of rising above partisanship to put all of his constituents first," former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a former presidential candidate and chairman of the school choice nonprofit ExcelinEd, said."And, over the course of his eight years in office, Gov. Ducey demonstrated something I believe —– policy changes lives. It’s a model I hope many of the new governors from across the nation emulate.
While school funding has long entangled governors in Arizona, another emergency that touched schools and every other part of life in the state would consume nearly all of Ducey's attention. Just over a year into his second term, Ducey — and governors across the nation — faced an unforeseen challenge as the COVID-19 virus swept across the United States.
To Ducey, his decisions struck a balance between protecting"lives, livelihoods and individual liberties." To his critics, Ducey was standing in the way of fighting the virus. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey greets President Donald Trump at Yuma International Airport on Aug. 18, 2020.In silencing a phone call from the president during that certification ceremony, Ducey also took a hit with the farthest right faction of his party — a faction needed to win higher office, should he have chosen to do so.
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