Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey tests positive for COVID-19, will not visit border with Mike Pence

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has tested positive for COVID-19, his spokesman said Monday.

Ducey was set to attend a border event and speech in Phoenix with former Vice President Mike Pence on Monday, but scrapped those plans after the positive test result, according to Ducey spokesman C.J. Karamargin.

"He is asymptomatic and feeling well, but will not be attending the border tour and policy address with Vice President Mike Pence today," Karamargin said.

"The governor welcomes Vice President Pence to Arizona and thanks him for his continued advocacy of border security."

Ducey received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and has not previously tested positive for the virus. His COVID-19 diagnosis comes more than two years after the pandemic first gripped the Grand Canyon State, with cases rising and as mitigation measures have been lifted.

He received the Pfizer two-dose vaccine in March 2021, and got a booster shot in late November or December, according to his office. Ducey's positive result was identified during routine testing, according to his office.

“As governor, he comes into contact with quite a few people on a regular basis," Karamargin said. "Fairly regularly getting tested is part of the routine.”  

Over 13,600 new cases were reported in Arizona in the week between May 29 and June 4, according to state health department data, an increase over the roughly 2,000 new cases reported weekly in late March and early April. That's still well short of the peak that was seen earlier this year tied to the omicron variant.

Arizona has had more than 2 million positive cases of COVID-19 since the first case was reported in January 2020. Over 30,000 people have died, according to Arizona Department of Health Services data current through June 8.

Ducey, who co-chairs the Republican Governors Association, and Pence, who is rumored to have presidential political ambitions in 2024, are among the leading Republicans propelling border-related issues into the spotlight, with Ducey regularly criticizing the Biden administration for inaction as border crossings reach a two-decade high.

Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669. Follow her on Twitter @sbarchenger.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Gov. Ducey has COVID-19; will miss border trip with Mike Pence