With a simple win against Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego on Tuesday, Kari Lake is hoping to secure the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Arizona. This might lead to a close contest for a seat that could be critical in determining Senate control.
Republicans will also have to pick between a group of incumbents who have resisted former President Donald Trump’s claims about the 2020 election and challengers who contend it was rigged in Maricopa County, which encompasses metro Phoenix and 60% of Arizona’s voters.
Prior to the decisive 2024 election, when Arizona will play a pivotal role in the struggle for control of the White House and Congress, the primary will shed light on the state’s direction.
Gallego is the only candidate seeking the Democratic nomination for the Senate.
Trump told fans to “go vote” during a phone rally with Lake on Monday night. “She is outstanding. She won’t disappoint us. That Kari Lake is just going to be the best, in my opinion. Nobody is going to be superior.
After Lake announced her intention to compete for the Senate, the once-crowded field of Republicans considering the fight for the Senate began to thin away. Lake gained national attention by participating in Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign during her failed 2022 candidacy for governor of Arizona.
Mark Lamb, the sheriff of Pinal County, is her primary opponent in the GOP race. He claims to be the most electable and the greatest candidate to safeguard the border. However, he’s had trouble raising the funds required to convince voters of his candidacy. As of the end of June, Lamb had raised $2 million, while Lake had raised $10.3 million.
In the contest to unseat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat who was elected in 2018 but defected to become an independent after losing support from the Democratic base, the victor will take on Gallego. Sinema gave running as an independent some thought but decided against it.
After leaving the Fox affiliate in Phoenix as a news anchor, Lake entered politics and soon rose to prominence on the right. Her scathing criticism of her former news media colleagues, her tough stance on border security, and her steadfast backing of Trump—who briefly considered her as his running mate—drew the attention of grassroots Republicans.
“We’re excited to have you back in Washington, DC,” Lake said Trump at the phone rally on Monday. “And I look forward to supporting you and ensuring that this nation is turned around.”
In the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial primary, she defeated a Republican supported by the establishment, but she lost the general election by a slim margin. After winning the primary, Lake believed she had already won, so she didn’t try to unite Republicans behind her or move toward the center.
Although she hasn’t been consistent, Lake has made sporadic attempts to soften her most divisive opinions since she started her Senate race late last year. Although she had earlier referred to Arizona’s nearly complete abortion ban as “a great law,” she later disavowed it.
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