Accountable Arizona suspends campaign to recall Gov. Doug Ducey

PHOENIX - A non-partisan group collecting signatures in an effort to recall Arizona Governor Doug Ducey is suspending its campaign.

Accountable Arizona says it's impossible to safely gather more signatures with the COVID-19 virus rapidly spreading.

The group, which is made up of veterans and volunteers, says it has also faced harassment from anti-maskers at signing locations.

Accountable Arizona wants the governor removed from office for what it calls "his failed response to the pandemic."

Back in November, group founder Adam Halleck stated Gov. Ducey has been playing partisan politics to appease President Donald Trump.

"There has not been one point during his COVID response that Doug Ducey was ahead of the curve. He’s had every decision that he’s made was made late. It was made because people were, you know, yelling at him or you know, getting upset with him. It’s never been because he himself decided, you know what? This is the right thing to do," Halleck said.

Ducey has urged Arizonans to wear masks, but did not order a statewide mask mandate.

As of Dec. 29, the Arizona Department of Health Services has reported 8,640 deaths from COVID-19 and 507,222 cases of coronavirus.

The group says it collected more than 150,000 signatures. It would have needed more than 594,000 signatures by Jan. 16 in order to qualify for a recall election.

A separate recall effort against the governor failed earlier this year. Ducey was elected as Governor in 2014, and won re-election in 2018 with his term ending in 2022.

Arizona's constitution does not allow a person to hold more than two consecutive terms and Ducey is not eligible for election in 2022.

Continuing Coverage

• Grassroots group seeks to recall Arizona Governor Doug Ducey from office