'Bad politics': Conservative editorial warns GOP after Kari Lake courts NRSC ahead of likely Senate run

10 May 2023

Kari Lake, the far-right MAGA Republican and conspiracy theorist who Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs narrowly defeated in 2022, has yet to formally announce a U.S. Senate run. But she appears to be moving in that direction. And if Lake does decide to run and wins her party's nomination, Arizona could be looking at a three-way Senate race in 2024 and Lake up against Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) and incumbent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema — that is, if Gallego is the Democratic nominee and ex-Democratic Sinema seeks reelection as an independent.

According to Politico's Holly Otterbein, Lake is reaching out to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and is "planning to meet with at least a half-dozen U.S. senators and officials from the Senate GOP's campaign arm this week in Washington, D.C."

The Philadelphia-based Otterbein, in an article published on May 10, reports, "The Thursday, (May 11) visit, confirmed by a spokesperson for Lake, is the latest in a series of recent signs that the conservative firebrand is inching closer toward a Senate bid. It also will mark the second time this year that she has sat down with staff from the National Republican Senatorial Committee."

Although Lake is popular among MAGA Republicans, many traditional conservatives — including former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) and GOP activist Meghan McCain — regard her as an extremist. Cheney and McCain were both happy to see Lake lose Arizona's 2022 gubernatorial election to Hobbs.

Otterbein observes, "Lake would likely galvanize Trump supporters to the point that many Republicans think she would be all but impossible to defeat in a primary. But GOP strategists are concerned that Lake would turn off swing voters in the general election, particularly after she contested her loss in the gubernatorial contest in 2022."

Four months after Hobbs was sworn in as governor, Lake has yet to concede and claims, without evidence, that the election was stolen from her. Lake has also falsely claimed that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump in Arizona — a conspiracy theory that has been repeatedly debunked.

In an op-ed published by the conservative Washington Examiner on May 10, journalist Tom Joyce argues that nominating Lake is the last thing Republicans should do if they're serious about retaking the U.S. Senate in 2024.

Joyce writes, "Running someone who lies about elections and vaccines and bashes a war hero (the late Sen. John McCain) in a swing state is just bad politics, whether or not you agree with Lake.… Arizona GOP voters gave Lake a shot last year — they should not let her fool them again."

Read Politico's full report at this link.

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