OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
This has been quite a week for Arizona Republican Kari Lake.
Most importantly, the Arizona Supreme Court has denied a request from the former GOP gubernatorial candidate regarding her election complaint. The state’s highest court denied her request for an expedited review of her allegations regarding the manner in which the 2022 election was conducted in Maricopa County.
Currently, her case is before the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court decided to allow that lower court process to play out, writing, “as indicated by the Court of Appeals’ order setting an accelerated briefing schedule, the Court has no reason to doubt that the Court of Appeals appreciates Petitioner’s (Lake’s) desire for an expedited resolution.”
The high court also noted that it would again deny the petitioner’s request for transfer without prejudice “to seeking expedited review of an adverse decision after the Court of Appeals has had an adequate opportunity to consider the pleadings, conference the matter, and prepare a well-considered decision.”
Lake provided an update on the lawsuit via Twitter, saying her lawyers expect the legal matter to move “quickly.”
“The panel could issue a ruling, or if they have questions, they could ask for supplemental briefing or bring in attorneys for oral argument,” Lake tweeted. “Our expectation is the panel will move this case quickly. As soon as I have more information—you’ll be the first to know. I will never stop fighting for you Arizona!”
🚨UPDATE🚨
Here’s an update on our Election Case currently in the Arizona Appellate Court.
The three-judge panel overseeing the appeal held a private conference Wednesday, Feb 1, where the judges met to discuss the case and the briefs.
1/3— Kari Lake (@KariLake) February 2, 2023
Our expectation is the panel will move this case quickly.
As soon as I have more information—you’ll be the first to know.
I will never stop fighting for you Arizona!
3/3— Kari Lake (@KariLake) February 2, 2023
As her lawsuit is pending, Lake is also possibly considering a run for the U.S. Senate.
A new poll reveals that Lake may have a path to be elected as a senator from the state.
A recent poll showed that the firebrand Republican would defeat sitting Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and Democrat challenger Ruben Gallego.
“The survey, released January 11 by the website Blueprint Polling, imagined a scenario in which Sinema, a former Democrat turned independent who’s held her Senate seat since 2019, runs for reelection against Lake and Gallego, a Democrat who represents the state’s 3rd Congressional District. Lake, who rumors say is considering running for the seat but has not confirmed this, polled at 36 percent, according to Blueprint, well ahead of the two rivals. Gallego trailed closely with 32 percent, while Sinema ran a distant third with 14 percent,” Deseret News reported.
The poll said that in a three-way contest, one of six voters surveyed was undecided, which could assist Sen. Sinema in keeping her position.
Since leaving the Democrat Party last month, Sen. Sinema has gained support from Republican and Democrat voters and, the poll said that her best chance to stay in the Senate “may be for the Republican party to nominate a candidate so flawed that moderate and conservative voters would abandon that person for the Independent Sinema.”
Sinema officially left the Democratic Party in December and changed her affiliation to the Independent. Her move weakens Democrats’ already tenuous hold on the upper chamber. Prior to her announcement, Democrats had a 51-50 majority in the U.S. Senate.
In a guest column for the Arizona Republic, Sinema slammed “partisanship” and the stranglehold it has on both major parties. Sinema, who is up for re-election in 2024, said she will continue to caucus with Democrats.
Becoming an Independent won’t change my work in the Senate; my service to Arizona remains the same. Read my full Op-ed in the Arizona Republic 3/3 ⬇️https://t.co/P2JQXFT5IJ
— Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) December 9, 2022
“I promised I would never bend to party pressure, and I would stay focused on solving problems and getting things done for everyday Arizonans. Americans are more united than the national parties would have us believe. We’ve shown that a diverse democracy can still function effectively. Arizonans – including many registered as Democrats or Republicans – are eager for leaders who focus on common-sense solutions rather than party doctrine. But if the loudest, most extreme voices continue to drive each party toward the fringes – and if party leaders stay more focused on energizing their bases than delivering for all Americans – these kinds of lasting legislative successes will become rarer,” she wrote.
