Ward secured a second term as the state party’s chair after announcing her bid for reelection earlier this month following a push from former President Trump, who reportedly told her she “needed” to run. None of the four candidates reached the 50 percent threshold in the first round of voting, leading to a faceoff between Ward and Sergio Arellano, in which Ward secured her role 52 percent to 48 percent.
Arellano subsequently congratulated Ward at the meeting and called for unity under her leadership:
