Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate, Kari Lake, has declared her intentions to run for Arizona’s Senate seat in the upcoming 2024 elections. Following her 2022 loss, Lake, echoing the sentiments of her ally Donald Trump, attributed her defeat to alleged widespread voter fraud.
The Senate race is gearing up to be competitive, potentially featuring incumbent Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego.
Addressing her supporters in an Arizona rally on Tuesday, Lake directed much of her criticism towards President Joe Biden, particularly highlighting policies related to the US-Mexico border. She further took a shot at media entities, labeling them “un-American”, while lauding Trump’s presidential term.
“We must steer America away from Biden’s path and bring America-first patriots into the Senate,” Lake emphasized during her speech. Later, on X, formerly known as Twitter, she further commented on the border situation, accusing Sinema and Gallego of endorsing an open-border policy.
Despite losing the governor’s race in the previous year by 17,000 votes and an unsuccessful legal challenge to overturn her defeat, Lake remains undeterred. Her persistence has earned the full endorsement of Donald Trump, who praised her as a “tough fighter” in a video message during Tuesday’s rally.
As of now, Lake’s main competition within the Republican nomination appears to be Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. However, polls suggest an impending tight race involving Lake, Sinema, and Gallego. Arizona, a historically Republican state, swayed to President Biden in 2020.
Having captured her seat in 2018 as a Democrat, Senator Sinema subsequently left the party to serve as an independent, attributing her shift to her disenchantment with the prevailing “partisan system”. Sinema has yet to reveal her plans for the next term.
Meanwhile, Rep. Gallego, benefiting from a slight edge in some polls, swiftly criticized Lake’s announcement, condemning her for “undermining our democracy” on X. He confidently asserted, “Voters have rejected you before, and they’ll do it again.”