Why does seem that Arizona has more far-right weirdos that any other state per capita?

[the artist formerly known as catmusic]

With absolute fruit loops like Lake, Gosar, Masters and Rogers being cranked out by the AZ GOP, how is it that there are so many far-right politicians from the same state that John McCain once represented?

Arizona has a combination of deep-seeded racism, wild west fantasy, being extremely rural outside the Phoenix/Tuscon areas, and bigots from the rest of the country who flock there in their old age for the warm and dry climate. It's got a very long history of far-right movements as well. Phoenix was one of the last big cities to go democratic, it took until enough young and diverse people had moved there o outweigh the very republican voting block, and was helped by Trumpism taking over the GOP so a lot of moderate republicans vote democratic now. At this point the AZ GOP is in a bind where they can't win primaries without a Trump-y candidate but can't win generals with them.

Oh, and I'm not here for a McCain redemption arc lmao

[the artist formerly known as catmusic]

being extremely rural outside the Phoenix/Tuscon areas,

Does Arizona really have that many rural whites? It's not northern New England.

Ha! Yeah, they do have a lot - although a lot of those places have some Hispanic population as well who tend to be more conservative. There are vast swaths of the state with almost no people but a giant ranch here or there, parts of the state are to this day inaccessible except by dirt road. I grew up there so I remember it well!