"Now the real race begins," said the staunchly anti-abortion Ducey, 50, a former chief executive of ice cream company Cold Stone Creamery, whose supporters include Tea Party favorite Texas Senator Ted Cruz and hardline Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
With the vote decided, Brewer joined Ducey on the victory platform, despite having backed [Ducey's opponent] Smith, praising his candidacy in an effort to unify the party for the race ahead.
Ducey campaigned on rejuvenating the state's economy, improving education and shaking free of federal constraints. While calling for better border security, he avoided demands for comprehensive immigration reform and providing a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants that might alienate some voters.
Not many Republicans reach out to the heavily Democratic Navajo tribe, but Ducey says it's all about protecting jobs, especially the ones at Navajo Generating station in northern Arizona that employees hundreds of people. Ducey's communications director said, "If elected, Doug will work to kickstart the economy for all of Arizona, remove harmful and burdensome regulations that are keeping businesses from putting people to work, and reform our K-12 education system to ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education.
Ducey served as CEO and principal of the Scottsdale-based ice cream franchise business between 1996 to 2007. Between 2001 and 2011, 42% of Cold Stone franchises receiving Small Business Administration loans defaulted. Kahala Corp. acquired Cold Stone in 2008.
Ducey has very much hung his gubernatorial hat on his Cold Stone tenure. [His opponent] wants to put a dent in Ducey's Cold Stone credentials. "Mr. Ducey has so far shared only half-truths about a venture that included failures, lawsuits, allegations of misdeeds and taxpayer subsidies," Smith said.
Doug Ducey, Republican: "My heart goes out to any person or family that has been affected by violent crime. The common thread in recent tragedies--Tucson, Aurora, Newtown and now Isla Vista--is that many warning signs were overlooked or ignored. As a nation, we must take a hard look at our mental health system and its failings, and ensure better cooperation between mental health agencies and law enforcement. I will work with Arizona mental health experts, the firearms community and law enforcement professionals to make sure that any programs brought forward will reduce violence and not infringe on the Constitution."
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The above quotations are from 2014 Arizona Gubernatorial debates and race coverage.
Click here for other excerpts from 2014 Arizona Gubernatorial debates and race coverage. Click here for other excerpts by Doug Ducey. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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