Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers is poised to overcome a primary challenge from fellow GOP legislator David Cook, with early results indicating a substantial lead. 

Rogers, who has represented Legislative District 7 since 2021, and Cook, a state House Representative, are markedly different in their political stances. Rogers has gained a national reputation for her election denialism following former President Donald Trump’s defeat in 2020. In contrast, Cook embodies a more moderate Republican mindset, reminiscent of pre-Trump GOP officials. 

Wendy Rogers has previously sparked controversy by calling white nationalists ‘patriots’ and advocating for extreme measures such as hanging political adversaries.

Cook, a rancher and chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee since 2016, is known for his bipartisan approach, sometimes siding with Democratic initiatives. Rogers, a former Air Force pilot and current chair of the Senate Elections Committee, has hosted conspiracy theorists and supported bills aimed at drastically altering Arizona’s election procedures, including forced hand counts and banning no-excuse early voting.

Besides her controversial stance on elections, Rogers has also faced an ethics complaint for mistreating a staffer in 2021, which was later dismissed. She was censured by the Senate in 2022 for threatening colleagues who criticized her appearance at a white nationalist conference and her calls for hanging political enemies. 

Cook has also faced criticism within his party for his occasional support of Democratic causes, which goes against the majority of his GOP colleagues. He is term-limited in the House and decided to run for the Senate this year, expressing his disapproval of Rogers representing his district.