Unity Without Standards Isn’t Unity

Following his primary defeat, Anthony Dunham argues the Arizona Republican Party must adopt a code of conduct, strengthen candidate vetting, and hold its own accountable to rebuild trust.

OPINION | By Anthony Dunham, 2026 Republican candidate for Arizona Senate, Legislative District 17

In the days following my primary loss, I had two brief conversations with the state GOP chairman. He made it clear that his top priority is unifying the Republican Party across Arizona.

I agree. We must unite.

But the question is: at what cost?

Too often, unity is reduced to a simple message: “Plug your nose and vote for the Republican nominee.” That starts sounding dangerously similar to the Democrats’ mantra of “Vote blue no matter who.”

If Republicans continue down that path, we’ll end up where Democrats are today: tolerating weak candidates, abandoning accountability, and losing any meaningful platform.

We have to change that philosophy now.

I told the chairman then, and I’ll say it again today: genuine unity is absolutely possible. But it will require real courage and real leadership. I offered then, and I still offer today, to help with that effort. In the coming weeks, I hope to sit down with him and share my vision for a stronger Republican Party.

There are simply too many frustrated Republicans, especially in Pima County, for leadership to ignore.

A Word About LD17

Let me also be perfectly clear.

I am not telling anyone how to vote in the LD17 Senate race. I am not asking anyone to vote against Chris King. Personally, it will take prayer and serious reflection before I am ready to endorse him.

At the same time, we cannot lose sight of the bigger picture. Keeping the Arizona Legislature in Republican hands matters.

Every voter should pray, search their conscience, and make the decision they believe is right.

The Real Problem

We also have to confront an uncomfortable reality.

A growing number of Republicans in Pima County and throughout LD17 are no longer willing to tolerate the divisive, mean-spirited, and destructive behavior that has infected parts of our party.

As I told the chairman, the solution is easy to understand but difficult to implement.

State and county leaders must be willing to confront people they have known for years. If they refuse to do that, the long-term cost to our party will be enormous.

President Trump did exactly this in 2015. He challenged an establishment Republican culture that had become weak, timid, and unwilling to fight. For decades, many Republicans accepted that culture. Trump reminded conservatives that it was acceptable—even necessary—to be bold, unapologetic, and willing to defend conservative principles.

The national Republican Party changed.

Unfortunately, I believe part of Arizona’s Republican Party never received that message. Too much of that old culture still exists in places like Pima County. That is the culture our leaders must be willing to confront head-on.

If they don’t, we risk sliding backward into the same failed mindset Republicans worked years to escape.

The encouraging news is this:

I believe there are enough principled conservatives in Pima County who refuse to go backward.

I know because I am one of them.

A Path Forward

Real unity requires standards.

1. End Destructive Republican Primaries

Republicans can no longer accept personal destruction, character assassination, and immature political theater as normal campaign strategy.

Every Republican candidate should sign a statewide Code of Conduct.

The code should be enforced by both the state and county parties, and violations should carry real consequences.

The principle is simple:

If you cannot defeat your opponent on the issues, then you deserve to lose.

Healthy debate strengthens our republic.

Lies, smears, and character assassination weaken it.

We cannot condemn these tactics when Democrats use them while rewarding Republicans who do the same thing.

Unity comes through strength, and strength requires standards.

2. Enforce the Standards

A code means nothing if no one is willing to enforce it.

State and county parties should be willing to publicly and privately withdraw support from candidates who repeatedly violate the rules.

That includes:

• Zero tolerance for libel, slander, and knowingly false attacks against candidates or their families.

• Removing “good standing” status from candidates who repeatedly violate the Code of Conduct.

• Holding campaign staff and volunteers accountable when they engage in coordinated personal attacks.

Rules without consequences are merely suggestions.

3. Create a Basic Candidate Vetting Process

Before receiving Republican Party support, every candidate should complete a basic vetting process.

At a minimum, that process should include:

• A criminal background check.

• A review for significant legal or ethical issues that could embarrass the party or disqualify the candidate.

• Verification that the candidate agrees to abide by the Republican Code of Conduct.

None of this is complicated.

These are common-sense standards that build trust within the party and with voters.

The Code of Conduct should apply not only to candidates, but also to campaign staff and volunteers.

Conclusion

I recognize these ideas are still a work in progress.

But if we are serious about uniting the Arizona Republican Party, we must be willing to adopt meaningful standards like these.

The alternative is obvious.

We continue rewarding bad behavior.

We continue tolerating division.

And we continue losing elections we should have won.

United we stand. Divided we fall.

This call for unity is not rooted in personal grievance. It is about the future of our party and the standards we choose to uphold. For those interested in the events that shaped my perspective, I addressed many of the issues raised during the campaign in an interview before the primary. You can listen to it here:

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Anthony Dunham is a Christian conservative, Iraq War combat veteran (Operation Iraqi Freedom III), retired law enforcement officer, ordained minister, certified chaplain, and father of three. A longtime church and community volunteer, he ran for the Arizona State Senate in Legislative District 17 on a platform emphasizing border security, public safety, educational choice, affordability, and constitutional government.