Maricopa County Republicans are bucking the state party on Trump. Here's why

The Maricopa County Republican Committee appeared to violate state party bylaws last week when it endorsed former president Donald Trump for a 2024 run — but it's unlikely to see repercussions from state GOP officials.

MCRC officials announced Thursday that the organization's executive guidance committee "unanimously" voted in favor of endorsing Trump. The county party's bylaws say that no member can speak in support of a candidate in Republican primary elections unless at least 60% of committee members vote to approve doing so.

However, the endorsement directly conflicts with the state party's bylaws. Those rules make clear that party officials are supposed to treat Republican candidates "fairly" during primary elections, except in presidential preference elections in which the incumbent is a Republican.

The state party's bylaws say that they "apply fully" to county committees and that county parties cannot enact conflicting rules.

Nonetheless, Arizona GOP Chairman Jeff DeWit called MCRC an "independent organization" in a Monday statement.

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He noted that his party's bylaws compel the Arizona GOP to remain neutral in Republican primary races but made no mention of the fact that those same rules also apply to county committees.

"My objective is to foster unity within the party, and in alignment with our bylaws," DeWit said. "The voters decide who our primary winners are, not the party, and our goal is to get all those nominees over the finish line in the general election."

He doubled down in response to a follow-up question from The Arizona Republic on how the state party bylaws apply to county committees.

"The precinct committeemen of Maricopa County are the final say on the direction of MCRC, not the AZGOP," he said.

MCRC Chairman Craig Berland didn't initially respond to The Arizona Republic's request for comment. On Tuesday, he told The Republic that his party sought to take a "leadership position" by endorsing Trump before the presidential preference election. He pointed to the county party's bylaws as justification for the move.

Berland also said he believes that Trump has received "biased and unfair" media attention in recent months, and that he isn't worried about Trump not winning the presidential primary.

"Each Arizona county has to own their position," he said. "President Trump has shown us what a properly managed country looks like and we desperately want a return to those wonderful days."

MCRC clashes with Arizona GOP

The endorsement is the latest in a series of solo moves by the county party that have, at times, drawn criticism from its members and the state GOP.

In August, Berland pushed DeWit and other GOP officials to abandon the state's normal presidential preference election. Instead, he proposed the party run its primary with in-person-only voting and hand counting.

The state party ultimately declined to go along with that plan, citing legal concerns and time constraints.

That decision enraged MCRC leaders, who accused DeWit of betraying the party. Some threatened to start efforts to remove DeWit as state chairman, a post he won in January.

About a month later, internal county party strife spilled over publicly after numerous legislative district chairs told the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors that higher-ups in MCRC were appointing precinct committeemen without their approval, among other issues.

County supervisors are statutorily tasked with appointing precinct committeemen when there is a vacancy for one of the county's recognized political parties. In response to the discord, the board unanimously voted to approve a new policy for appointing precinct committeemen to vacancies.

Then, the county party voted to give $250,000 to a Trump-aligned election reform group for a project that would allow volunteers to review voter registration lists. The vote drew public criticism from other Republican officials because the group to be funded, We the People AZ Alliance PAC, was co-founded by the county party's vice chair, Shelby Busch.

MCRC leaders ultimately backed out of the project.

Other county committees say they won't endorse before primary

Republican Party officials in several other Arizona counties said they typically do not endorse candidates for any office before primary races are decided.

Tamara Holley, executive director of the Pima County Republican Party, said she aims to give every candidate "the same opportunity."

She said party officials will give any candidate voter data for door-to-door canvassing during primary season upon request but will "never ever" issue endorsements until after voters choose a nominee.

"People try to get us to endorse, but no," she said.

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Similarly, Yavapai County Republican Committee Chairwoman Jana Kading said her party does not intend to endorse any candidate for the presidency before the presidential preference election, even though "many locally would like us to."

In Mohave County, GOP Chairwoman Jeanne Kentch said she won't endorse "one Republican over another" before voters decide on a nominee. Kentch, who also serves as the county's elected assessor, said making premature endorsements can "cause all kinds of problems."

"If you look at the rules from the Republican committee for the state, prior to a primary, we aren't really supposed to be endorsing anyone," she said.

Sasha Hupka covers county government and regional issues for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip to share? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Maricopa County GOP bucks state party bylaws with Trump endorsement