“Now the party is putting its thumb on the scales,” he explained at the time, noting that the Arizona Republican Party was openly favoring pro-Trump figures over centrist alternatives. “Even the people who aren’t endorsed by Trump… are still falling all over themselves to be MAGA. The movement is permeating the entire party.” Is the intimidation working? I asked. He thought for a beat and looked out the window, as if expecting someone to show up when I said it. “Anyone who would dare speak the truth to these people is in danger.”
