(Image source from: zfamily.com)

A Former Arizona secretary of state has challenged Gov. Doug Ducey in the Republican essential on Aug. 28. Ken Bennett said Tuesday he documented in excess of 7,800 marks with a specific end goal to qualify him for the vote.

He began gathering marks after Ducey disclosed an arrangement to give instructors 20 percent raises before a statewide educator walkout. Bennett said he supposes Ducey "flip-floundered" by subsidizing the proposition off of expanded income projections after already saying the state couldn't manage the cost of raises.

“We ran into a lot of people across the state who were anxious to sign a petition for somebody running against Doug Ducey,” Bennett said. Bennett plans to run using the state’s public financing program. He will need at least 4,000 contributions each at least $5 by Aug. 21 to do so.

Political adviser of Governor Ducey , J.D. Twist said in a statement that “it would not be an election cycle without Ken Bennett on the ballot,” a nod to the crowded 2014 Republican primary where Ducey beat Bennett and other challengers. Other than moving up from fourth to second, the results for Bennett in 2018 will be no different than 2014,” Twist said.

But Bennett, who is also a former state Senate president, said he thinks he has a better shot with voters this time around.

By Lokesh