Welcome to the first edition of The Meltdown, a weekly rundown of every laugh and gaffe in the chaotic and crazy GOP gubernatorial primary. The three Republicans in the race, Kari Lake, Karrin Taylor Robson and Matt Salmon, are battling it out to prove who’s the most unhinged and on the fringe. It can be hard to keep track of every tweet, ad and interview, so we’ve done that for you. Enjoy!
Tweet of the Week
The Founding Fathers Believed in Your Right to Bear….. a Rocket Launcher?
In light of today being National Gun Safety Awareness dDy and in light of the Uvalde tragedy, it seems worth sharing that during a Youtube interview, Kari Lake said the 2nd amendment includes owning a rocket launcher. Yes, we’re serious. See for yourself at the 48 minute mark.
A Photo is Worth a Thousand Words and Maybe Some Donations Too
Kari Lake posted a photo of herself last Friday with Wayne LaPierre, the head of the NRA. The photo was tagged from Texas during the NRA convention that even Texas Gov. Greg Abbott backed out of after the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas.
Not Great Timing Karrin
Karrin Taylor Robson began running a political ad about gun rights a day after the Texas mass shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead. Robson shows a photo of herself in the ad holding a gun, calling herself a “proven conservative” and a “proud gun owner.” Yikes.
Trump Plus Lake Equals <3
Kari Lake pushed out a new ad which features Trump speaking direct to camera endorsing Lake, and looks like it was filmed on a flip phone in a basement. Kari Lake has been doing everything she can to tie herself to Trump, but it’s a questionable tactic as it seems Trump’s influence is waning and may actually be hurting Republicans now.
Gruesome Twosome
Last week state Senator Wendy Rogers announced that she’s been endorsed by Kari Lake in her bid to keep embarrassing the state Senate with her hateful, bigoted tweets and actions. Rogers is on the fringe of fringe and has made her support of radical, white supremacist ideology clear. Of course, that makes her the perfect endorsement for Kari Lake.
The Call is Coming From Inside the Campaign
Right-wing Republicans have been making journalists their Enemy Number One for years. Kari Lake is no different and has made attacking journalists a pillar of her campaign. This week she went on OANN and said that journalists have “blood on their hands” for not covering fentanyl deaths (a lie) and that they’ll have to “face their maker” because they refuse to believe the conspiracy that the 2020 election was stolen (also a lie).
Nothing to be Proud of Here
June is Pride month, a time to celebrate LGBTQ folks across the country. It’s also a time to highlight the wave of homophobia and transphobia that the Republican gubernatorial field is pushing.
Kari Lake – My Gay Friends Support My Homophobia
In February of this year, at a debate between Republican gubernatorial candidates, Kari Lake was asked if she would sign a hypothetical bill protecting gay and transgender people under Arizona discrimination law. Lake said she would not and justified her opposition by saying that her “gay friends” also opposed such protections. During a virtual town hall on May 17th, she viciously attacked transgender Arizonans as well, saying “transgenderism” is being “pushed” in schools, and calling being transgender a “mental condition.” She referred to gender affirming care as “genital mutilation” and stated that doctors who provide such care to kids should have their medical licenses revoked.
Karrin Taylor Robson – I Too Don’t Like LGBTQ People
Not to be outdone by Kari Lake, Karrin Taylor Robson wants you to know she dislikes LGBTQ people just as much. In a press release she put out after Ducey signed the bills attacking transgender children earlier this year, Robson said, “Arizona families are being torn apart” by transgender children and supports the discrimination against them. She also claimed that “Hollywood, the mainstream media and radical Left have gone mad” by supporting transgender Arizonans.
Oh Wait We Forgot Matt Salmon (We’re Sure You Did Too)
Matt Salmon has been struggling for relevance in a GOP primary where the crazier wheel gets the coverage. So in light of Pride month, we wanted to throw it back to when not even having an out, gay son made him any less bigoted. Matt Salmon and his wife supported anti-gay legislation over the years, including bans on same-sex marriage and denying gays the right to adopt. This record seems especially out-of-touch given that Salmon’s own son came out as gay when he was 14 years old. Even after his son came out, the congressman told the Washington Post in 2013 that while he loved and respected his son that “I don’t support the gay marriage.”