Arizona became the latest state to opt out of Republican primaries despite multiple Trump challengers

Trump rally in Mesa, Arizona. — (Image credit: Ralph Freso/Getty Images)

The Arizona Republican Party officially canceled its presidential primary contest Monday, a move which will surely make the unlikely shared dream of challenging President Trump even tougher to achieve for former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld (R), former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R), and former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), all of whom have officially announced their candidacies.

The Hill obtained a letter from Arizona's GOP chair Kelli Ward to Secretary of State Katie Hobbs that confirmed Arizona will join Kansas and Sanford's home state of South Carolina as the three states that have the nixed the idea of a primary. Nevada is expected to follow suit, The Hill reports.

It's a familiar move for Arizona — the Democratic Party did the same thing in 1996 and 2012 during the re-election campaigns for former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, respectively, while the Republicans opted out in 2004 when former President George W. Bush was the incumbent seeking another term. The party argues the move will both save taxpayers money and allow for investments elsewhere, including the general election. South Carolina and Kansas have provided similar reasoning.

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Trump agrees, though it's safe to say he was slightly less guarded when divulging his opinions on the matter. Tim O'Donnell

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.