Kari Lake faces uphill climb in efforts to woo moderate Republicans: 'Politics of personal destruction'

04 December 2023

When far-right MAGA conspiracy theorist Kari Lake unsuccessfully ran for governor of Arizona in 2022, she not only railed against Democrats — Lake also slammed traditional conservatives and "McCain Republicans" as RINOs: Republicans In Name Only. At one event, Lake infamously said that "McCain Republicans" could "get the hell out."

After Lake lost to Democratic now-Gov. Katie Hobbs, Meghan McCain — a conservative activist and daughter of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) — savored Lake's loss by tweeting a photo of Lake with the word "loser" added.

Lake, who is seeking the nomination in Arizona's 2024 GOP U.S. Senate primary, has made a lot of enemies on both the left and the right. But she has recently been reaching out to more traditional conservatives.

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Washington Post reporters Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, Liz Goodwin and Isaac Arnsdorf describe that outreach in an article published on December 4. How successful Lake will ultimately be, they stress, remains to be seen.

"Lake has contacted her former primary rival, top GOP donors and past supporters, party officials and activists, and even a former senator as she tries to persuade them to coalesce around her," the journalists explain. "But Lake's appeals for support have so far contained no actual apologies — and some Republicans say they are not likely to forgive her anytime soon, complicating her path to victory in a state home to many moderate Republicans and independents whose support is key to winning. And as she continues to pursue a so-far unsuccessful legal battle to overturn her 2022 loss to Gov. Katie Hobbs (D), national Republicans fear she may continue pursing the same type of conspiracies and election denialism that harmed her previous campaign."

Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Arizona) is among the conservative Republicans who is in no hurry to get behind Lake's Senate campaign.

Salmon told the Post, "Short of an engraved apology, I wouldn't consider helping her with anything. She employs the politics of personal destruction, and she'll say anything — the most vile things in the world — to get ahead. And I'm sorry, I just can't forget that."

If she wins the GOP nomination, Lake may be up against Rep. Ruben Gallego (who is seeking the Democratic nomination in the race) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (a former Democrat who may seek reelection as an independent).

A GOP donor, referring to Arizona's 2022 gubernatorial election, told the Post, "If people are not jumping on the Lake train, it's because they're still reeling over what just happened."

A Republican strategist, also quoted anonymously, told the Post, "It's fair to say she has a long way to go to prove she's changed course or is a different candidate. If it's a race that she can win, there will be support."

Read the Washington Post's full report at this link (subscription required).

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