Republican Kari Lake, who lost a hotly contested race for Arizona governor last year, is now expected to launch a bid for the U.S. Senate. According to multiple sources, the announcement will come in October.
Politico cited three individuals with knowledge of Lake’s plans, and ABC News also said she will mount a Senate campaign starting next month.
Caroline Wren, a Lake senior adviser, said a final decision will come in October. “The people of Arizona want Kari Lake to stay in this fight and are calling on her to run and she’s very likely to answer that call,” Wren told The Hill.
Wren called incumbent Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Democratic challenger Ruben Gallego “rubber stamps for Joe Biden and his radical agenda.” Sinema, who gave up being a Democrat last year, has not confirmed she will seek reelection.
Lake came up short in the 2022 governor’s race to Democrat Katie Hobbs but hotly contested the result. She filed several legal challenges over what her supporters strongly felt were election irregularities.
🚨Kari Lake expected to announce US Senate run in October
I wish Arizona elections & courts were honest enough to make her Governor, but giving her a national platform to inspire & embolden conservatives across America is a pretty good consolation prize
https://t.co/DFYzMg50Xd— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) September 20, 2023
The potential Senate candidate is also a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump. Lake posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that she is proud to attend the second GOP presidential debate “as a surrogate for President Trump.”
The former president and current Republican frontrunner will reportedly skip next week’s gathering of GOP candidates in California. He will instead give a speech in Detroit, Michigan.
Lake praised Trump for his decision to forego the event “in favor of delivering his America First message directly to working-class voters. She labeled the “kid’s table debates” a “distraction.”
Many political pundits believe Arizona is a prime opportunity for Republicans to pick up a Senate seat next year. If Sinema decides to seek reelection as an independent, the contest could be a three-way race and wildly unpredictable.
Two other Republicans are already announced candidates. Former Senate candidate Blake Masters is running for Congress along with Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb.
There are also persistent rumors that former President Trump is considering choosing a female running mate for the White House. Lake’s name frequently appears on this short list, and that possibility could play into her decision on the Senate race.
