Trump, Pence campaign for rivals in Arizona governor's race

Former President Donald Trump and his estranged vice president, Mike Pence, are campaigning in Arizona for rival candidates for governor

Former President Donald Trump and his estranged Vice-President, Mike Pence, held rival campaign events in Arizona on Friday, turning the Governor's race into a broader referendum on the Republican Party's future.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence both talked up the successes of their administration and hammered President Joe Biden, but neither directly addressed the other or the growing rift between them.

Mr. Pence, who this week added his name to a growing list of GOP establishment figures endorsing housing developer Karrin Taylor Robson, offered only an oblique critique of the Republicans still pushing the lie that Mr. Trump lost because of fraud.

If you elect Ms. Robson, Mr. Pence said, “you can send a deafening message heard all across America that the Republican Party is the party of the future.”

He was more direct later on Twitter: “Some people want this election to be about the past, but elections are always about the future. Democrats would love nothing more than for Republicans to take our eye off the ball and focus on days gone by.”

Ms. Robson says the 2020 elections “weren't fair," accusing “liberal judges” of changing the rules late in the cycle and the media and big tech of suppressing conservative voices. But she has stopped short of saying Mr. Trump lost because of fraud.

Her main rival, former television anchor Kari Lake, has embraced Mr. Trump’s election lies along with his combative approach to his political enemies and the media.