For Immediate Release
Monday, Sept. 19th, 2022
Contact: Josselyn Berry, Jberry@azdem.org
Welcome to All About Kari, a weekly rundown in the run-up to the general election on every radical and extreme thing Kari Lake says and does. It can be hard to keep track of tweets, ads and interviews, so we’ve done that for you. Enjoy!
Tweet of the Week
Kari Lake Calls People Who Get Abortions “Executioners”– Unlike other candidates who have tried walking back their radical positions, Lake is barreling ahead with her anti-abortion stances. The most recent example of that came in a tweet fired off last weekend, where Lake referred to people who seek abortion care as “executioners.” Lake has even said abortion is “murder”. As the Arizona Republic reported, “Lake has not budged from her staunch opposition to abortion,” despite a majority of Arizonans supporting access to abortion and it becoming a top issue in this election.
As Republicans Call for Nationwide Ban On Abortion, Lake Stands By Her Radical Positions–As Lindsey Graham unveiled a radical plan to push a nationwide ban on abortion, Lake has been consistently doubling down on her anti-abortion stances. Lake has proudly branded herself as the anti-choice, anti-abortion candidate in her campaign for governor, and has not wavered from her extreme positions. Recent reporting also revealed that the RGA has been convening governors and top anti-abortion groups on how to implement draconian restrictions at the state level, effectively instituting a national abortion ban.
A reminder on Kari Lake’s unwavering support for a total abortion ban: She responded to the SCOTUS decision overturning Roe by saying she supports the 1901 Arizona law criminalizing abortion and celebrated it again as a “great law” during a forum in February. In a July Republican primary debate, Lake unequivocally stated her support for Arizona’s Civil War era abortion ban that effectively outlaws abortion and requires prison time for doctors, saying she would support and enforce it. And shortly after becoming the GOP nominee for governor, Lake dodged a question from a reporter asking if she would advocate for “more restrictive abortion laws.”
Schools Ring Alarm Bells, Kari Lake Covers Her Ears– Democratic state lawmakers and education advocates called on Gov. Doug Ducey to call a special session to suspend the aggregate expenditure limit (AEL). Schools across Arizona could effectively face cuts of more than $1 billion if the Republican-led legislature doesn’t take action to lift the 40-year-old rule restricting the spending of already approved funding for our schools. Lake has offered no real plan for Arizona’s compounding education issues. Back in February, Lake gleefully opposed saving our schools from the funding cliff. After a vote to provide full funding for K-12 schools, Lake retweeted a message of support for the GOP legislators who opposed the funding, “Take note! Vote for the names in RED on this list. Standing up for parents rights. Standing up for our children. Showing backbone!” Lake tweeted.
Kari Lake: Proud “Domestic Terrorist”– While campaigning at a church Lake compared MAGA Republicans to Jesus saying, “You can call us extremists. You can call us domestic terrorists. You know who else was called a lot of names his whole life? Jesus.” At that same event she also proudly parroted Trump’s comments calling Mexicans rapists: “They are bringing drugs, They are bringing crime. They are rapists and that’s who’s coming across our border.”