For Immediate Release
Wednesday, September 20th, 2023
Contact: Olivia Taylor-Puckett, otpuckett@azdem.org
ICYMI: Kari Lake to Launch Arizona Senate Bid Next Month [Politico]
ARIZONA -– Today, Politico reported that Kari Lake, 2022 Gubernatorial loser and “major liability” for Republicans, will mount her “less-than-welcome” bid for the Arizona Senate seat as early as next month.
“Republicans have been biting their nails for months at the prospect of sore loser Kari Lake entering the Arizona GOP Senate primary. Their nightmare scenario is about to become real life,” said Olivia Taylor-Puckett, Senior Communications Advisor at the Arizona Democratic Party.
Politico: Kari Lake to launch Arizona Senate bid next month
By Ally Mutnick, Burgess Everett, and Holly Otterbein
September 20, 2023
Key Points:
- Arizona Republican Kari Lake will launch a Senate run as soon as early next month, according to three people familiar with her plans.
- Lake, an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump who refused to concede her narrow loss in Arizona’s governor race last year, has been hinting at a bid for months. She has been active in national politics since her 2022 loss and this week alone she’s headlining events in Iowa and Michigan.
- There is no specific date set for Lake’s launch but it will almost certainly come in the month of 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.
Here’s what they’re saying about Kari Lake’s nightmare run for Senate:
- Fox News: Republicans worry Kari Lake…will lose Arizona Senate race again in 2024. “GOP leaders and operatives fear” that Lake’s candidacy “may bungle the party’s chance” to win.
- The Washington Post: Opinion: Republicans have a big Kari Lake problem. Kari Lake “poses massive problems for the Arizona Republican Party.”
- Wall Street Journal: Kari Lake Is Considering Senate Run, Making Some Republicans Nervous. “Kari Lake is still contesting the result of the Arizona governor race she lost. But she is now turning her attention to the state’s 2024 Senate contest, setting the stage for a political bounceback while worrying some Republicans who feel she is too extreme to win a general election.”
- POLITICO: Arizona Republicans fear they may blow it again. Lake’s candidacy is “sparking angst among Republicans” who “fear” that they will “fumble” the primary.
- The Messenger: “The problem ahead of the 2024 election — one that is easy to overlook nationally because Arizona elections are always close — is that with candidates like Lake and Masters reportedly planning campaigns for the Republican primary for Senate, along with other MAGA acolytes running up and down the ballot, Arizona business leaders again see an unstoppable slow motion car wreck in progress.”
- The Washington Post: “There is deep concern about Lake’s viability in a general election, national Republican operatives said, given her recent statewide loss, continued focus on false election fraud claims and her unfavorable ratings.”
- National Journal: “Her hard-right views are not palatable to the Arizona electorate at large, as evidenced by her losing gubernatorial bid.”
- CNN: “Cornyn said of Lake: ‘Her recent track record doesn’t indicate that she would be successful. We need candidates who can broaden their appeal beyond the base and win a general.’”
- The Cook Political Report: Lake “looks hell-bent on running,” which “national Republican sources” have called an “unfortunate conundrum,” explaining that “it’s hard to see a scenario where Lake would lose the GOP primary — and even tougher to see one where she could win a general election.” as the party hope to avoid a repeat of 2022, which “left Republicans with weak nominees saddled with plenty of baggage and high unfavorables in states like Arizona.”
- The Washington Examiner: “a Republican strategist based in Washington who requested anonymity to speak candidly said ‘If she runs, Republicans lose. It’s that simple.’”
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