Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake said she would make her decision whether to run for U.S. Senate in 2024 by the end of this year.
Lake confirmed the time frame for her decision in an interview with NewsNation’s The Hill on Wednesday.
HOW TO WATCH THE REPUBLICAN DEBATE AND WHAT TIME DOES IT START
“I’m seriously considering — we need a senator in Arizona who will put the people of Arizona first, who will put America first, who’s not a leftist who votes with Joe Biden 93-100% of the time, and I think Arizona’s ready for that,” she said.
Lake reportedly began interviewing and hiring consultants and staff in anticipation of an October launch date in early August. If Lake enters the race, she will be facing Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who is challenging Sen. Krysten Sinema (I-AZ) for her seat.
Sinema has not yet announced if she will run for reelection, but if she does, it could make for a high-stakes three-way race. The seat is rated as a “toss-up” by Cook Political Report. Lake has emerged as the front-runner for the Republican Arizona Senate primary without launching a campaign, with Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb following close behind as Lake’s top opponent.
Lake’s hard-line conservative views have caused establishment Arizona Republicans to fear a repeat of 2022, where several hard-line Republicans beat moderate GOP candidates in the primaries but lost to Democrats in the general election. Lake lost to Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) in the 2022 midterm elections by less than 1 point, a loss Lake has blamed on election fraud.
She pushed her claims of election interference all the way to the Maricopa County Superior Court, where the court eventually affirmed there was no election fraud in Arizona’s gubernatorial race. Despite losing her court battles, Lake continues to push claims of voter fraud, which is similar to former President Donald Trump‘s reaction when he lost the 2020 election.
Most recently, Lake asked Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jay Adleman to dismiss a defamation lawsuit from Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, alleging that it violates Arizona’s Strategic Action Against Public Participation law. Lake argues that it does not matter whether she made false statements about Richer, as the state law curtails public officials from suing critics.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Richer filed as a public citizen, claiming that Lake made false claims that he sabotaged the election to keep her from winning. To win the suit, he’d have to prove that Lake knowingly made false statements about him and knew the statements were false or acted recklessly in regard to whether they were true or false.
However, Lake said because the suit revolves around his work as a recorder, he should still be considered a “state actor.” While the courts have dismissed all of her claims of election fraud, ruling there is no evidence to suggest interference, Lake could claim that she is entitled to her opinion on the outcome of the 2022 election.
