Former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is expected to make a major political career announcement next month.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Lake will announce she is running for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (I-Ariz.) seat, a race that will pit her against the incumbent as well as Democratic Rep. Reuben Gallego, who has already declared his intention to run for the seat.
Sinema initially ran and won as a Democrat but has since registered as an Independent, though she still caucuses with her former party.
The WSJ reported:
Lake, the former local TV news anchor turned conservative darling who is still contesting the results of her 2022 loss for governor, told The Wall Street Journal she will launch her next campaign at an Oct. 10 rally. The race looks likely to be a three-way matchup between the Republican Lake, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and Sinema, who now identifies as an independent. The winner of the seat could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.
“We need to get a senator in there who is going to fight back and put America first,” Lake told the outlet, adding that she planned to continue her legal fight contesting the 2022 gubernatorial election results.
Previous reports indicated that Lake was seriously contemplating a run.
“Her interest has largely frozen the GOP field for the seat, which is currently held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). Blake Masters, the state’s 2022 Senate nominee, appears to be lingering on the sidelines after preparing to enter the race in September,” Politico reported earlier this month.
“There is no specific date set for Lake’s launch but it will almost certainly come in October, according to a person familiar with her plans who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. The Arizona race is a crucial swing state that could determine control of the Senate. Sinema’s switch to become an independent last year roiled the race for her seat. She has not said whether or not she will seek reelection and Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego already launched a Senate campaign,” the outlet added.
While speaking in July at The Family Leadership Summit, a Christian conference held in Iowa, Lake said she believes she is the only candidate who could win next year’s Arizona Senate race as she contemplates whether she will toss her hat in the ring.
Lake said she will decide whether she will run for Arizona Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s seat in the next few months, potentially deciding in the fall, The Hill reported.
“I’ve looked at the polling, to be honest, and I believe I’m the only one who can win that race,” Lake said. “We have an opportunity to pick up a very important seat so that when President Trump gets back into office, he can have people in D.C. ready to back him up with this incredible agenda.”
Should Lake decide on a Senate run, however, she already appears to have an advantage. Last month, one survey had Lake ahead of all other possible candidates in a hypothetical 2024 GOP Senate primary by 28 points, as reported by Just the News.
A recent poll conducted by JL Partners from April 10-12 showed that despite not announcing her plans to run for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (I-Ariz.) seat, 38% of registered Arizona Republicans and undeclared voters would vote for Kari Lake.
Karrin Taylor Robson, who lost the GOP gubernatorial primary to Lake last year, came in second place with 10% support.
“Following Robson, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb has 8%, 2022 Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters has 7%, and 2022 Arizona Attorney General candidate Abraham Hamadeh has 4%,” the outlet reported. “No Arizona Republicans have entered the 2024 Senate primary, but Lake, Masters, and Hamadeh were all endorsed by former President Donald Trump last year in their respective primaries.”
The same survey found that in a hypothetical contest for the GOP presidential nomination next year, Trump is preferred over Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) by 23 points, with 47% supporting Trump and 24% supporting DeSantis, while 11% of voters were undecided.
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