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Geographically, Arizona is beautiful. Politically, it’s a little bewildering. The state, once a Republican stronghold associated with Barry Goldwater and John McCain, now has a more muddled image. GOP presidential candidates still win Arizona more often than not, and Republicans have controlled the Legislature for decades, proof that the party remains competitive all around this increasingly purple state. But in recent years, the GOP has fumbled away statewide races for governor, secretary of state, and U.S. Senate by nominating extreme candidates. And the events of last night suggest that Republicans may be about to get bitten again.

Back up. What happened last night?

Arizona held primary elections for governor, secretary of state, and U.S. House. On the Republican side, ultraconservatives dominated the marquee races. The GOP nominee for governor is Rep. Andy Biggs, who once led the House’s far-right Freedom Caucus and voted to overturn the 2020 election results. For secretary of state, Republicans went with Alexander Kolodin, a lawyer who was sanctioned by the state bar for parroting Donald Trump’s false claims that 2020 was stolen. With Trump’s endorsement, Biggs and Kolodin beat Republican rivals who argued that the eventual primary winners were both........

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