'Incredibly Difficult Decision': Matt Salmon Ends AZ Governor Bid

MESA, AZ — Former U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon, facing discouraging polling numbers, has ended his run for governor.

Salmon, 64, a Republican, tweeted Tuesday afternoon he's been "blessed with the best supporters in the world" but that "numbers are numbers, and primary voters deserve more than having their votes split."

"So, today, I am ending my #AZGov campaign for the same reason I entered it: Because it is what's best for the people of Arizona," Salmon tweeted.

In a letter to supporters posted on his campaign website, Salmon called it an "incredibly difficult decision." He said the decision became clearer in recent days that his path to victory in the Aug. 2 Arizona primary election was no longer mathematically possible.

"If it were, I would have stayed in the race and kept fighting. But this campaign has never been about me. It is about you — and Republicans deserve more than having their votes split in the primary," Salmon said.

Born in Salt Lake City, Salmon graduated from Mesa High School in 1976. He was a member of the Arizona state Senate from 1991-95.

Salmon represented Arizona's 1st Congressional District from 1995 to 2001, then ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor in 2002. From 2013-17, he represented the state's 5th Congressional District.

Salmon's decision comes after the Arizona Mirror reported earlier this month that internal GOP polling showed a statistical tie between gubernatorial candidates Kari Lake, a former news anchor, and Karrin Taylor Robson, a former university regent and developer.

The poll, which surveyed 550 Republican voters, found that Salmon was at 12 percent, while Lake polled at 27.4 percent and Robson polled at 23.3 percent.

Scott Neely and Paola “Z” Tulliani-Zen each polled at 3 percent and less than 1 percent, respectively.