Former developer Karrin Taylor Robson mulling bid for 2022 guv’s race

Karrin Taylor Robson, a developer and prominent Republican donor, might run for governor in 2022.

Robson told the Arizona Mirror that she’s had a lot of people urge her run. She said she wouldn’t go as far as to say she’s considering it, but conceded that she hasn’t ruled it out. 

“I’d like to keep all my options open as I wind my way through life,” she said.

Robson is a member of the Arizona Board of Regents, and is the founder and president of Arizona Strategies, a land-use strategy company based in Phoenix. She was previously the executive vice president for development company DMB Associates, and was a land-use, zoning and development attorney with the law firm Biskind, Hunt & Taylor. After leaving DMB in early 2016, she formed a consulting company and served as DMB’s lobbyist at the state Capitol until May 2019.

Robson is a member of the Kunasek family, a Republican political family with deep roots in Arizona. Her father, Carl Kunasek, was president of the Arizona Senate and a member of the Corporation Commission. And her brother, Andrew Kunasek, was a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. 

She is married to developer Ed Robson, the founder and president of Robson Communities. 

“I do have a long history. My family’s been active in the political sphere since before I was born, and I love this state,” Robson said. “Over the course of life, you try and find the best place to give back to your community and move your community forward. That’s what I have always done in my personal and professional life, and I see no reason to deviate from that course.”

Though she hasn’t made any decisions, Robson indicated that, if she runs, she won’t rely on her own money to fund her campaign, at least not exclusively. She said anyone who runs for office should be able to generate enough support that people are willing to invest in their candidacy.

“You don’t want to just go in there and do it on your own. You want to have people who are impacted by your decisions have investment in you,” she said. 

Gov. Doug Ducey was re-elected to his second term in November, and will be termed out in 2022. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Treasurer Kimberly Yee are viewed by many as contenders for the Republican nomination as well.

This isn’t the first time Robson’s name has been floated for public office. She was on the list of candidates being considered for appointment by Ducey to replace U.S. Sen. John McCain.