Even if he was polished in interviews, politics is all perception
Wut.
AZ is still a right leaning state
It really isn't. Doug Ducey was the last Republican to win a noteworthy statewide race in AZ, and he's long been put to pasture, politically speaking.
Do you have any idea what the modern AZ GOP is like? Hell, if Joe Arpaio ran as an independent he'd get more votes than Chris Christie.
It sounds much like the Michigan GOP.
The fraudulent electors scandal is going to burn the GOP in every state in which it was tried.