In a recent interview with CNN, Kari Lake, the Republican Senate candidate and former Arizona gubernatorial nominee, expressed her intention to court voters who supported GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley and those who would have voted for independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. This comes despite her criticism of Haley’s campaign as a “vanity project.”
Lake is preparing to launch her Senate campaign against Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, following Sinema’s announcement that she will not seek reelection. Lake is making a concerted effort to rally “all Republicans” in the state, as well as independent voters, behind her campaign.
“I am actively trying to court all Republicans, whether they are MAGA Republicans, somewhere in the middle, or traditional Republicans,” Lake stated. “I want everybody’s vote.”
Despite her staunch support for Donald Trump and his unfounded claims about the 2020 election, Lake is attempting to moderate her positions on certain issues. For instance, she has recently stated that she does not support a federal abortion ban or a century-old Arizona statute that nearly bans abortion completely, despite her previous support for the law.
Following reports that Haley would suspend her presidential campaign, Lake criticized Haley for not endorsing Trump. “She’s stayed in all this time and hundreds of millions of dollars has been spent on really what has been a vanity project, and hearing today that she was going to suspend her campaign – and still not endorse President Trump – that’s not unifying,” Lake said. “And I think it’s time that she does unify, get behind President Trump.”
Lake believes there’s room in the party for those who don’t support Trump but asserts that anyone who supports Biden isn’t a Republican. “President Trump’s coming. He’s going to be back in the White House,” she said. “If you didn’t support him, and you’re still Republican, that’s fine. But if you’re supporting Joe Biden, if that’s the alternative, then I think you’re probably not a Republican.”
Lake is currently in Washington, meeting with Senate Republican leaders and holding fundraisers. Senate GOP Whip John Thune, a candidate for GOP leader, announced his support for Lake in the Arizona Senate race, indicating the party establishment’s growing support for the MAGA-aligned candidate.
With Sinema’s decision to retire, the political landscape of the US Senate race in Arizona has shifted. The race is now shaping up to be a head-to-head contest between Lake and Gallego. On the Democratic side, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer endorsed Gallego, signaling that Democratic party leaders are backing Gallego in one of the races that could decide control of the Senate seats this fall.
Lake also voiced her opposition to the Senate border compromise, which Sinema helped negotiate, and any additional military aid to Ukraine. She supports a negotiated solution between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, aligning her with Trump’s stance.
“I don’t support sending more money to Ukraine,” Lake said. “I think this is a war that’s been lost, I really do. When the spring offensive failed, the war was lost. And so I support what President Trump wants to do: Bring these two leaders to the negotiating table and talk peace. And the fastest way to do that is to cut off the spending that is funding the war.”