OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Kari Lake, the 2022 Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate, went viral for a photo taken of her ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl LVII as the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs prepared to play for the NFL championship.
The pic shows Lake remaining seated during the playing of the so-called “black national anthem,” which has become a staple at NFL games since the 2020 season as the league aligned itself with the Black Lives Matter movement.
“The @NFL played two different ‘National Anthems’ tonight. Someone just sent me a photo of @KariLake sitting during the first one,” journalist Benny Johnson tweeted.
The @NFL played two different “National Anthems” tonight. Someone just sent me a photo of @KariLake sitting during the first one. pic.twitter.com/HVdiu5xRBG
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 12, 2023
According to the Western Journal:
The song, a Christian hymn honoring the birthday of Republican President Abraham Lincoln, certainly has noble origins. But the reason for its inclusion before pro football games was anything but noble.
The “black national anthem” was added as a concession to those who felt the “racist” origins of “The Star-Spangled Banner” didn’t represent them. Regardless of what song they chose, designating something as a “national anthem” representative of only one racial group is nothing but divisive.
Because of the song’s cultural politicization, Lake chose to remain seated as the song was performed.
Lake’s gubernatorial Twitter account explained why she sat: “Our girl is against the idea of a ‘black National Anthem’ for the same reason she’s against a ‘white National Anthem.’ She subscribes to the idea of ‘one Nation, under God.’”
Our girl is against the idea of a “black National Anthem” for the same reason she’s against a “white National Anthem”
She subscribes to the idea of “one Nation, under God” @katiehobbs is against it because she just simply hates black people. https://t.co/ZKdX3fNB1a
— Kari Lake War Room (@KariLakeWarRoom) February 13, 2023
During the performance of the National Anthem by country music star Chris Stapleton, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was seen with tears streaming down his face, as other players felt the emotion as well.
.@ChrisStapleton brings the house down with his performance of the National Anthem! #SBLVII pic.twitter.com/iiRzjVcByW
— NFL (@NFL) February 12, 2023
“Eagles coach Nick Sirianni crying during the national anthem got me man… If you don’t feel this you don’t have a pulse!” former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho, who played most of his career with the Eagles, tweeted.
“Nick Sirianni is all of us listening to Chris Stapleton right now. Absolutely gorgeous rendition,” Kristen Rodgers, a Philadelphia local news anchor, added.
“I wish our politicians loved America as much as Nick Sirianni does,” Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk wrote.
Last week, Lake said she’s “entertaining” a possible U.S. Senate run.
During an interview with Kirk on his Real America’s Voice show, Lake hinted that she could run for the Senate in the 2024 election if she doesn’t get a “decent ruling” in her lawsuit for the Arizona gubernatorial election.
“I mean my number one priority is our court case, and I have full confidence in our court case and I hope we will get a judge to do the right thing. But I’m also looking at what happens if we don’t get a decent ruling in that, and they want me to go away, they want our movement to go away. I represent we the people, and if they want us gone so badly that they’re willing to steal an election then I’m not going to let them have that, I won’t go away,” she said.
“I’ve seen some internal polling that shows I’m the only Republican who can beat these other two. I find both of them incredibly dangerous to the people of Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema’s voting record being 93 percent of the time voting for Joe Biden’s agenda, I find Ruben Gallego being a self-admitted socialist really frightening for Arizona and if I’m the only Republican who can beat them, I would be willing to jump in,” Lake added.
A state appeals court in Arizona has agreed to expedite a hearing into Lake’s lawsuit. The decision by the Arizona Court of Appeals comes after the state Supreme Court rejected her case earlier this month and remanded it to be heard first in lower courts. In a brief order, the court agreed with Lake’s arguments that her challenge should be handled as a “special action petition.” The court date is reportedly scheduled for March.
"They want our movement to go away."@KariLake joins @CharlieKirk11 to weigh in on her lawsuit and a possible run for U.S. Senate in Arizona.
Watch LIVE ➡️ https://t.co/AOtHV4zjmr
Watch #TheCharlieKirkShow here: https://t.co/0vTH11em18 pic.twitter.com/MBSXu5JnBR
— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) February 6, 2023
If she jumps in, Lake would be running against incumbent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who recently left the Democratic Party and re-registered as an “Independent.” It’s not clear if she will be running again, but U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallegos (D-Ariz.) has already filed to challenge her.
