Lake, a one-time anti-establishment favorite of Trump’s MAGA wing of the GOP, has worked hard to court DC Senate Republicans
The Senate Republicans’ campaign group is supporting Kari Lake in Arizona’s important election. This race could decide if the GOP takes control of the Senate in November.
The announcement on Tuesday by National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Sen. Steve Daines shows that Lake is moving past her previous campaign for Arizona governor, which focused on being an outsider and disputing the election results. Now, she seems willing to work with the GOP establishment.
Daines, a Republican senator from Montana who is leading the NRSC this time, said, “Kari Lake is a very talented candidate. She’s building a strong campaign that could help the GOP win Arizona’s Senate seat in November. I’m happy to endorse her for the United States Senate.”
Lake used to be a well-known local TV news anchor in Arizona. She strongly supports former President Donald Trump and his claims that he lost the 2020 election to President Biden because of widespread voter fraud, although these claims have not been proven. In the 2022 race for governor, she caused controversy when she narrowly lost and refused to admit defeat, even challenging the results in court multiple times without success.
However, since she announced her candidacy for Senate last October, Lake has been consistently trying to win the support of the NRSC and mainstream Republicans. She recently attended the campaign committee’s winter meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, where she continued to court their backing.
Lake expressed her gratitude for Chairman Daines and the NRSC’s endorsement in a statement, which was first reported by Politico. She stated, “I am honored to have the endorsement of Chairman Daines and the NRSC. We are bringing together Republicans in Arizona and have a clear path to victory. Winning in Arizona is crucial for the Republicans to take control of the Senate.”
Daines and the NRSC are more involved in GOP Senate primaries now compared to the previous cycle under Sen. Rick Scott of Florida. They help recruit candidates and discourage others from running.
The NRSC supported Tim Sheehy in Montana and Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania when they entered the race. Although Daines has praised Lake recently, he’s only officially endorsed her now.
In Arizona, Lake’s main opponent is Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, but she’s expected to easily win the nomination.
Fox News confirmed that the NRSC will hold a fundraiser for Lake on March 6, with Daines and Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming attending. Barrasso, the third-ranking Republican in Senate GOP leadership, endorsed Lake earlier and plans to campaign with her in Arizona on Feb. 29.
Currently, Democrats hold a slight majority in the U.S. Senate with a 51-49 edge. However, Republicans have a promising Senate map this year, with Democrats defending 23 out of the 34 seats up for election.
Three of these seats are in states that leaned towards Trump in 2020 – West Virginia, Montana, and Ohio. Additionally, there are five other Democratic-held seats in pivotal swing states that President Biden narrowly won in 2020 – Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Arizona, once reliably Republican, has now become a crucial battleground state in the Southwest.
In recent elections, the state narrowly voted for Democratic candidates like Kyrsten Sinema in 2018 for Senate, and for President Biden and Senator Mark Kelly in 2020.
Kari Lake lost narrowly in the 2022 gubernatorial race, while Mark Kelly won a Senate seat by a small margin.
The upcoming Senate race in Arizona is complex because Sinema, now an independent, hasn’t decided if she’ll run again. Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego is a top contender for the nomination. Some Republicans are excited about the possibility of a three-way race involving Sinema, Gallego, and Lake.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee criticized their GOP counterparts and Lake following the endorsement.
DSCC spokesperson Tommy Garcia said, “Kari Lake represents the problems Republicans face with candidate quality and recruiting. She’s lost elections and is disliked by Arizona Republicans. Lake’s significant issues make her unfit for the campaign. We’re pleased with the NRSC’s choice. Lake is the ideal candidate – to lose.”
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.