For Immediate Release
Monday, Oct. 2nd, 2022
Contact: Josselyn Berry, Jberry@azdem.org
Welcome to All About Kari, a weekly rundown in the runup 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 Staffer is Violent Criminal with “Murder-for-Hire Past”– A staffer on Kari Lake’s payroll is a convicted felon who plotted to kill an FBI informant, new reporting details. According to the Daily Beast, while Lake “has made her support for law enforcement a centerpiece of her campaign…her campaign also employs an interesting character: a convicted criminal who pleaded guilty to battery against a peace officer and who once plotted to kill an FBI informant.” In addition to hiring him on her campaign, Lake has previously campaigned alongside the staffer, Kenneth Ulibarri. Ulibarri is a convicted felon with a long history of violent crime: in addition to plotting to kill an FBI informant, Ulibarri has also been charged with battery upon a peace officer and driving under the influence, and sentenced to six years in jail for “multiple charges related to vehicle theft and criminal damage” in his past.
One Week Since 1901 Abortion Ban Went Into Effect, Kari Lake “Never Will” Denounce Her Extreme Stances– A pre-statehood law banning abortions and criminalizing doctors is again the law in Arizona after a Pima County judge lifted the injunction and made clear that the 1901 abortion ban was now in effect. Democratic nominee for governor Katie Hobbs held a press conference the very next morning speaking out against the ruling. That Sunday Kari Lake went on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo where she doubled down on her support for the abortion ban, saying “I’m pro-life. I’ve never backed away from that and never will.” 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. Lake responded to the SCOTUS decision overturning Roe by saying she supports the 1901 Arizona law and celebrated the 1901 ban as a “great law” during a forum in February and said she would support and enforce it during the Republican primary debate. Lake even knew the 1901 abortion ban well enough to memorize the statute number. In a June 24th interview with the Conservative Circus, Lake said, “I’m incredibly thrilled that we are going to have a great law that’s already on the books, I believe it’s ARS 13-3603.”
Arizona Economist Says Katie Hobbs’ Plan Could Help Cut Inflation While Kari Lake’s Plan “Just Doesn’t Work”–An economist who advised governors on both sides of the aisle for 40 years was interviewed on Katie Hobbs’ and Kari Lake’s plans to bolster Arizona’s economy. His conclusion? Kari Lake’s plan “just doesn’t work” and actually could make inflation worse in Arizona. Phoenix, Arizona is the worst in the nation for inflation. Meanwhile, Katie Hobbs’ detailed plan would relieve the burden on families by providing a child care tax credit of $250 per child every month, along with eliminating sales tax on exempt diapers and baby formula, and implement a sales tax holiday on school supplies. Hoffman praises the Hobbs plan saying it “can help combat inflation,” and that it would “benefit lower-income people in a state where upper-income earners have benefitted the most from tax cuts.”
Kari Lake Thinks Calling Latinos “Hard Core Criminals” and “Rapists” is Winning Strategy in Arizona– Kari Lake is again attacking Latinos, calling them “hard core criminals,” “murderers” and “terrorists” during an interview on Fox News, Sunday Mornings with Maria Bartiromo. This comes on the heels of Lake’s appearance at a Mesa church earlier in September where she said, “I’m gonna just repeat something President Trump said a long time ago and it got him in a lot of trouble,” Lake said. “They are bringing drugs. They are bringing crime, and they are rapists, and that’s who’s coming across our border. That’s a fact.”