OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake slammed The Arizona Republic for publishing an opinion piece that called her “clueless” about the southern border, fentanyl, and the NFL’s plan to host this season’s Super Bowl in the state.
“It’s a leftist rag and they’ve been out to get me since day one. That’s okay. Nobody reads them anymore and they’re kind of the laughingstock of journalism,” Lake said during an appearance on the Fox News program “America’s Newsroom.”
“We have crime at a sky-high level in Arizona, fentanyl pouring across, and we are going to take charge of our own border. And I don’t care what the Arizona Repugnant says about it. I care what the people of Arizona say, and they say they want a secure border. They’re tired of the crime, and they’re tired of the fentanyl,” she told Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino.
“I got word down in Yuma County on Saturday night, three criminal smugglers came in and one of them was shot and killed by Border Patrol. These men were armed with rifles. Apparently, they were shaking down illegal immigrants who were crossing the border and robbing them.”
Lake said on day one as governor, she plans to declare an official invasion at the southern border, arguing the Constitution grants states the right to protect themselves “when our federal government fails us.”
Lake also slammed her Democrat opponent Katie Hobbs and her “terrible ideas.”
“I don’t think Biden or anybody can throw her a lifeline. The people are rejecting her. They don’t like her policies. They realize she’s for open borders, and she’s going to try to turn us into California. And frankly, we’re not interested in that, doesn’t matter who comes in stumps for her.”
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During an interview on Fox News last month, Lake spoke about a rally she attended with former President Donald Trump.
“It was awesome. It was electric. The crowd was so ecstatic to see President Trump. I think it’s truly one of the most patriotic parts of the country right there in Prescott Valley. And the crowd just ate up every word he had to say. And it really kind of reiterated what we need so much he did in this country. He talked about the border. He talked about how Joe Biden is really trying to drive this country into the ground. And that’s why it’s so important to have strong governors to make sure that we can save our individual states – it’s going to come down to that. Unfortunately, we can’t count on the federal government, nor should we,” Lake said.
“I think we’re going to win and we’re going to win big. All of the polls – we’ve had about four polls come out in the last week and we’re up anywhere between 11 and 14 points. We’ve been running No. 1 in this race since the day I threw my hat into the ring. And we have a real movement here in Arizona. The people are ready for an outsider. They’re ready for a change. And they’re ready for someone who’s finally going to represent the people of Arizona instead of the insider cronyism that’s been going on for so long. And I’ve got a 27-year relationship with the good people of this state, and they know I’m in it for the right reason because I want to get Arizona back to where we should be and we are going to see our best days ahead, Maria. We do need to start with that border. It is a mess. And frankly, our current governor, who I believe is the least popular Republican governor in the country, has done nothing to secure our border. He’s earned the nickname do-nothing Ducey, and the people are tired of it,” Lake added.
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