As the 2022 campaign season takes shape, two top staffers for Governor Doug Ducey are heading out to do what they do best; spin. Chief of Staff Daniel Scarpinato and Deputy Chief of Staff Gretchen Conger, who both have served in the office since the beginning of Ducey’s tenure, are taking jobs with political organizations.
Conger, who has come under fire for questionable actions on behalf of special interests, is heading to Arkansas to serve as Senior Advisor to the Sarah Huckabee Sanders campaign. Huckabee Sanders served as White House Press Secretary from 2017 to 2019 and is currently a front-runner in the 2022 gubernatorial election.
Scarpinato has been named as a partner at Ascent Media, a political consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. and Denver, CO. Scarpinato will remain based in Phoenix.
Scarpinato’s successor is Daniel Ruiz. Ruiz, who essentially grew-up in the bureaucracy, has served as Ducey’s Chief Operating Officer. Previously, Ruiz was the Communications Director, and before that he served as the Director of Media Affairs in the Governor’s Office.