Arizona Republicans have elected former Trump official Jeff DeWit as the next party chairman to replace Kelly Ward.

On Saturday, Republicans in Arizona nominated Jeff DeWitt as the party’s next chairman. The choice comes as Republicans in a battlefield state hope to unite under new leadership and win a statewide election.

DeWitt, a former Trump aide who worked on both of his presidential campaigns, will replace Kelly Ward, a Trump ally who backed and supported his election-denying claims.

He received 70% of the vote over several other candidates, including Steve Daniels, who promised to radically change the state’s electoral system by requiring all votes to be cast in person on the same day and ballots to be counted by hand.

“I will work for you and we will unite,” DeWitt said after the win. “And we’re going back to beating the Democrats and winning the election.”

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DeVita supported Kari Lake, who lost the race for governor but became a powerful voice in the party; Mark Fincham, former secretary of state candidate; retired General Michael Flynn and others.

Lake said DeWitt also received a last-minute endorsement from Trump, but the former president did not post the endorsement on social media, which he does regularly.

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During Ward’s four years as party chairman, the Republicans lost three races for the U.S. Senate and elections for governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. She called on Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich to investigate newly elected Governor Katie Hobbs for possible wrongdoing during her campaign. She also faced criticism over the party’s spending.

Arizona Republican Party Chairman Kelly Ward speaks during a pro-vote rally on November 7, 2022 in Prescott, Arizona.
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

DeWitt was elected State Treasurer in 2014 and stepped down in 2018, shortly before his term expired when he was confirmed as NASA’s Chief Financial Officer under Trump. He ran the Trump Arizona campaign in 2016 and was the chief operating officer of the Trump 2020 campaign.

The Arizona Democrats elected Yolanda Bejarano, a senior national Communications Workers Union of America official, as their party’s chairman.

The election was the first contested Democratic presidential election in 12 years.

Bejarano was supported by a majority of the state’s elected Democrats, but Hobbs backed Steve Gallardo, the only Democrat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

U.S. Senator Kyrtsen Cinema, D.R., speaks at a news conference following Senate passage of the Respect for Marriage Act at the Capitol Building November 29, 2022 in Washington, D.C. On a vote of 61-36, the measure would secure federal recognition and protection for same-sex and interracial marriages.
(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Outgoing Democratic Party Chairwoman Raquel Teran declined to run for another term. She also wants to run for a seat in the US House of Representatives vacated by Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is running for the Senate. The seat is safely democratic.

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The 2024 election includes several nationally significant races, including the presidential race and the seat of Independent Senator Kirsten Sinema.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.