Kelli Ward

Kelli Ward
Chair of the Arizona Republican Party
In office
January 26, 2019 – January 28, 2023
Preceded byJonathan Lines
Succeeded byJeff DeWit
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 5th district
In office
January 14, 2013 – December 15, 2015
Preceded byRon Gould
Succeeded bySue Donahue
Personal details
Born
Kelli Kaznoski

(1969-01-25) January 25, 1969 (age 55)
Fairmont, West Virginia, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Children2
EducationDuke University (BS)
West Virginia School of
Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
A.T. Still University, Arizona (MPH)
WebsiteOfficial website

Kelli Ward[1] (née Kaznoski; born January 25, 1969) is an American politician who served as the chair of the Arizona Republican Party from 2019 to 2023. She previously served in the Arizona State Senate from 2013 to 2015.

She challenged incumbent Senator John McCain in the Republican primary for the United States Senate in 2016. Resigning from the state senate to focus on the race, Ward was defeated 51% to 39%. She ran in the 2018 Republican primary election for the U.S. Senate, initially against Jeff Flake,[2][3] and then against Martha McSally, after Flake's decision not to seek re-election. Ward was defeated by McSally in the Republican primary.

She became chair of the Arizona Republican Party in 2019. After the 2020 United States presidential election, in which incumbent President Donald Trump lost in 25 states, including Arizona, she filed lawsuits seeking to nullify the state's election results. When she did this, she provided no evidence of wrongdoing in the election and by December 9, federal and state judges had dismissed all of her challenges against President-elect Joe Biden's victory in Arizona.[4]

Ward was indicted by a grand jury in April 2024 as an alleged fake elector that falsely certified Donald Trump as the winner of the presidential election in Arizona.[5][6]

  1. ^ "Kelli Ward's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  2. ^ Min Kim, Seung (October 27, 2016). "Kelli Ward aims to oust Flake in 2018". Politico. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  3. ^ Bowman, Bridget (October 27, 2016). "Flake Gets 2018 Primary Challenge". Roll Call. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  4. ^ Polletta, Maria (December 9, 2020). "Last election challenge pending in Arizona courts thrown out by federal judge in blistering ruling". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  5. ^ Barchenger, Stacey (April 24, 2024). "Grand jury indicts fake electors who falsely certified Donald Trump as 2020 winner in Arizona". Arizona Republic.
  6. ^ Wingett Sanchez, Yvonne (April 24, 2024). "Meadows, Giuliani and other Trump allies charged in Arizona 2020 election probe". The Washington Post.