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Kari Lake is in “active negotiations” to join Newsmax following her defeat in the Arizona Senate race, Mediaite has learned.
Lake, a former local news broadcaster turned staunch Trump supporter, is in discussions with the conservative network for an on-camera role, according to sources.
Before rising as a conservative political figure, Lake spent over two decades as an anchor at Phoenix’s Fox 10 television station. After leaving the station, she became one of the most vocal allies of Donald Trump and later ran for governor of Arizona in 2022. She lost to now-Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who refused to debate the former newscaster ahead of the election.
Lake spent months challenging the results in portions of the state after a series of irregularities and complaints at polling stations but ultimately was unsuccessful. A local election official, whom she had blamed for her loss, filed a defamation lawsuit over her false claims. The case was recently settled for an undisclosed amount, Mediaite noted.
This year, Lake ran for Senate but was defeated by Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, falling short of Trump’s performance in the state’s presidential race. While she has not conceded the race, she has also not formally contested the results.
That said, Mediaite could not confirm that talks between Lake and Newsmax are actually taking place.
When reached for comment, Lake responded by text: “Get better sources.”
A spokesman for Newsmax denied any talks with Lake, saying in a statement, “We have had ZERO discussions with Kari Lake to join Newsmax.”
Gallego, who has represented a Phoenix-based House seat for nearly a decade, will succeed outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). Sinema decided not to seek reelection after switching her political affiliation from Democrat to Independent last year, as she faced significant challenges securing another term, The Hill reported.
Gallego announced his challenge to Sinema before she made it clear that she would not seek another term, putting Senate Democrats in a temporarily awkward position of potentially having to choose which Democrat to support.
The Arizona Democrat emphasized his background as the son of a single mother with family roots in Mexico and Colombia, along with his service in the Marines, The Hill reported.
His victory provides a small but significant boost for Democrats, who had a largely disappointing election cycle this year. While they successfully defended their Senate seats in battleground states like Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona, they also lost seats in Ohio, Montana, and West Virginia, and appear poised to lose in Pennsylvania as well. Additionally, they lost control of the White House, and their chances of maintaining control of the House are looking increasingly bleak.
At the same time, Gallego faced scrutiny during his Senate run over his record and whether his views on issues like immigration and the border had evolved. Critics pointed to past comments he made, such as calling Donald Trump’s border wall “stupid” and “dumb.”
Gallego, a former member of the House Progressive Caucus, let his membership lapse later, citing dues as the reason. Republicans aimed to nationalize the race, using ads to link Gallego to prominent Democrats like Vice President Harris and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Meanwhile, Trump won Arizona this time around after winning the state in 2016 but losing there to Joe Biden in 2020.
“The once firmly GOP-controlled state has put into office a Democratic governor, two Democratic senators and other statewide elected officials” over the past election cycle, NBC News reported last week.
“A fast-growing Latino population and a revolt against Trump among some old-line Republicans put the once-red state into battleground territory. And Biden’s 2020 win in Arizona was just the second time in 28 years that Arizona’s electoral votes went to the Democratic presidential nominee,” the outlet added.
