[fidelis]

"Perhaps somebody from Arizona could fill us in on why?"

Easy. Three big concentrations of population around liberal universities: Tempe (ASU), Tucson (U of A), and Flagstaff (NAU). That and the general Californication of the State concentrated in the larger cities. Big cities and liberal universities are poison.

[rdcbn]

Arizona also allows independents to vote either Republican or Democrat in the primaries