ARIZONA – After stumping for Donald Trump in the early presidential states of Iowa and New Hampshire, Kari Lake is facing scrutiny for being “2,500 miles away in snowbound New Hampshire” while “she’s certainly not doing the work to appeal to swing voters,” according to Arizona Republicans. 

Kari Lake’s “anywhere but Arizona” strategy “appears better suited for someone with national aspirations or a book to sell” and has previously been reported by Vanity Fair, Axios, Phoenix New Times, and Arizona Republic.

Lake’s Iowa swing was her second trip to an early presidential state since announcing her Senate campaign, having already visited New Hampshire in December 2023. Kari Lake’s national itinerary has included: Nevada, Texas, Florida, Colorado, New Hampshire, and Nebraska.

Arizona Republic: Why is Kari Lake in New Hampshire when she’s running for US Senate in Arizona?

By: Laurie Roberts

January 23rd, 2024

Key Points:

• Last week, Kari Lake was in Iowa, preaching to the MAGA choir. This week, she’s in New Hampshire. As a campaign strategy in Arizona, that’s straight up bonkers.

• Lately, it seems as if Kari Lake is everywhere. There she is, walking into a meeting hall and the crowd goes crazy. There she is, striding down the street and young mothers push their babies into her arms.

• There she is, seemingly everywhere. … Everywhere, that is, but in Arizona.

• And talking to everybody. … Everybody, that is, but the voters she will need to win a seat in the U.S. Senate.

• As a winning campaign strategy, it’s straight up bonkers. 

• “She’s certainly not doing the work to appeal to swing voters,” Tyler Montague, a longtime Republican strategist in Arizona, told me.

• “I don’t know who she’s listening to. I’ve talked to a few people in her universe that just throw their hands up and say she’s unreachable, just committed to this path. She surrounds herself so much with people who cheer for her that she’s just stuck in a bubble.”

• So, I guess the whole court-the-moderates thing is done […]

• Her outreach to moderates is clearly over

• For a brief period last fall, it looked like she was going to take the advice of national Republicans and seasoned Arizona campaign strategists as she mounted a charm offensive to woo moderates.

• But traditional Republicans she reached out to tell me she was more offensive than charming, refusing even to acknowledge the insults she’d heaped upon them much less apologize for her transgressions.

• Now she’s snapped back to full-on, all-out preaching to the MAGA choir in places like Londonderry and Laconia and Rochester.

• If you can’t picture those fine towns, it’s because they’re not in Arizona. They’re 2,500 miles away in snowbound New Hampshire, where Lake is all MAGA all the time as she delivers her Trump stump […]

• Where are those Arizona endorsements?

• But as a strategy to win a crucial Senate seat in Arizona?

• “I don’t get it either,” longtime Republican strategist Chuck Coughlin said […] 

• “What she’s doing outside of the state is a complete waste of time.” […]

• Lake ignores the voters she needs to win

• As for Lake’s message, it’s probably best if moderate voters aren’t tuned in […]

• This, as she campaigns in far-off states where precisely none of the voters will see a ballot with her name on it.

• Kari Lake may be the pride of the Hawkeye State and the darling du jour of the Granite State, but last I looked she’s running for the Senate in the Grand Canyon State.

• Hey Kari, we’re o … v … e … r h … e … r … e.