It's on in Arizona, as Doug Ducey and Mike Pence hope to stick it to Trump (and Kari Lake)

Republican Doug Ducey took to CNN on Sunday to give us a peek at his freshly carved wooden stake. Former Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, arrived early Monday with a hammer.

In the next two weeks, we’ll see if they can drive the thing into the political heart of the MAGA movement that spawned Kari Lake and the rest of Donald Trump’s picks to take over Arizona. To wit:

The election denier who wants to run Arizona’s elections (Mark Finchem).

The 2016 law school graduate who wants to be Arizona’s next attorney general (Abraham Hamadeh).

The 35-year-old venture capitalist whose main qualification, besides the DT seal of approval, seems to be the $13.5 million tech zillionaire Peter Thiel has invested in getting him elected to the Senate. (Blake Masters).

And five state Senate candidates, including one who literally believes the devil stole the 2020 election from Trump. (David Farnsworth)

Ducey savaged Lake on CNN

But mostly Team Normal’s focus is on Kari Lake, the longtime TV news anchor who could well be – and I really can’t believe I’m saying this -- Arizona’s next governor.

On Sunday, Ducey took to the CNN to savage Lake as a charlatan who is staking out Ultra MAGA positions that run counter to her decades of past actions and statements.

“This is all an act,” Ducey told CNN’s Dana Bash. “She’s been putting on a show for some time now and we’ll see if the voters of Arizona buy it.”

Ducey wasn’t done.

“Kari Lake is misleading voters with no evidence,” he said, of her insistence that the 2020 election was stolen. “She’s been tagged by her opponents with the nickname, Fake Lake, which seems to be sticking and actually doing some damage.”

As Monday dawned, Pence followed up with an endorsement for Lake’s opponent, Karrin Taylor Robson, calling her “the only candidate for governor that will keep Arizona's border secure and streets safe, empower parents and create great schools, and promote conservative values."

Team Trump was left to stamp its foot and reach for the 2020 playbook, implying that skulduggery is afoot.

“We are receiving reports that ballots have been destroyed or stolen from mailboxes,” the Arizona Republican Party tweeted on Sunday.

Translation: If Lake loses, it’ll be because the election was stolen.

As for Democrats? With two weeks left until the Aug. 2 primary, they spent the weekend popping corn – buckets and buckets of the stuff. That is, when they weren’t grabbing video of Ducey’s comments to CNN and praying they’ll have the chance to use them in general election campaign ads.

In a year in which Democrats’ prospects lie somewhere between bleak and downright desolate, Katie Hobbs' only hope of becoming governor is for Kari Lake to win the Republican primary.

“If it's Karrin Taylor Robson, it's game over for November," Republican consultant Barrett Marson said of Hobbs' chances.

It's a Trump-Pence showdown, Arizona style

Which is perhaps why Pence will be in the state on Friday to campaign with Taylor Robson — on the very day his former boss will be here rallying with his Arizona stable of candidates.

Where better than Arizona to stage a showdown with his former No. 1? (Pity they won't be meeting up in Tombstone.)

Pence, with his support of Taylor Robson, is setting himself up as the guy who can move the Republican Party out of the 2020 tarpit and into the future. While other establishment Republicans around the country mostly seem to sidestep the former president, Pence and Ducey are taking Trump on, through Lake.

“They’re going all out,” Republican consultant Tyler Montague told me. “They’re putting their necks on the block and going all out to try to prevent this (Lake victory). Pence’s endorsement of Robson — and Pence is a rock-ribbed conservative — it’s a signal that they’re trying to put a wooden stake through the harm that Trump has caused and they’re taking some risks to do it.”

Both Pence and Ducey stumped for Gov. Brian Kemp in the waning days of Georgia’s May 24 Republican primary. If Ducey is Public Enemy No. 2 among Republican governors, Kemp is Public Enemy No. 1.

But Kemp was always going to win that race so there was minimal political risk to Pence and Ducey, both of whom already were on the outs for their refusal to jump on the Stop the Steal train.

Kemp, by the way, trounced his Trump-endorsed opponent, David Perdue, winning 74% of the vote.

In Arizona, meanwhile, the race will come down to a photo finish. This time, Ducey and Pence actually are putting their political necks on the line but I like their chances.

Lake, with her angry tirades, is beloved by her base but she shows no interest in broadening her appeal. Despite having been endorsed by Trump 10 months ago and enjoying front-runner status from the start of the race, she's been unable to seal the deal with Arizona voters.

Taylor Robson, meanwhile, has propelled herself from a virtual unknown to a household name, thanks to a bankbook that rivals certain First World countries. Of late, she's seized all the momentum, having scored an avalanche of important endorsements, capped now by the Pence eyepopper.

There's a decent chance that she can stage a come-from-behind victory that will turn Lake into a puddle and Trump into the early stages of yesterday's news.

Pay attention, America. This is going to get interesting.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mike Pence and Doug Ducey are challenging Donald Trump in Arizona