Kari Lake opened her Senate run in Arizona showing an intent to shed the trappings of Trumpism that made her a star in conservative circles but cost her the governor’s race two years ago: baseless claims of voter fraud, reckless ones Attacks on fellow Republicans and obsequious tributes to former President Donald J. Trump.
Ms Lake, a former television presenter, has addressed her critics. She has tried to appeal to the Republican establishment in a way that Mr. Trump has not, casting his “Make America Great Again” movement as a natural evolution of the Reaganism that captivated legions of voters more than 40 years ago dressed for the party. And she has moderated her message on abortion, speaking out against a federal ban on the procedure, which she once called “the ultimate sin.”
But after six months as a Senate candidate, she is finding it difficult to move away from the controversial positions that have alienated independents and alienated potential allies, and she is making moves in a way that has the Republicans now running her campaign support, have warned that this will lead to another defeat.
At a campaign event last week in Cave Creek, Arizona, she announced plans to continue her legal challenges over her 2022 election defeat, castigated Republicans as cowards for not supporting her fight and claimed without evidence that Democrats were orchestrating illegal election schemes Inclusion of illegal immigrants.
“That’s the only way they can win — if illegals vote,” Ms. Lake said.
Ms. Lake built a national political figure in a remarkably short time, with applause lines that electrified every corner of MAGA Nation. Now, in her second high-profile battleground campaign in as many years, her attempt to temper her approach enough to win a Senate seat is proving a difficult task, even for someone with strong communication skills after decades in the local television news business.
Many moderate Republicans in Arizona continue to reject her offer and criticize Ms. Lake’s overtures as inadequate and disingenuous. Some conservatives who supported her in 2022 expressed concerns about her authenticity and questioned her ability to win in November.
“Kari Lake makes a lot of rookie mistakes and you just don’t know what you’re going to accomplish with her or where she’s going to end up,” said Dan Farley, president of the Arizona Tea Party and a former supporter who is now supporting her primary opponent, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb . “It is a powerful force, but a bit like a bazooka that lacks aim. She blows up her own garage instead of enemies in the driveway.”
Public polls show Ms. Lake as a clear favorite over Mr. Lamb. She is also within striking distance of Rep. Ruben Gallego, the front-runner for the Democratic Senate nomination. The race for the seat being vacated by independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is one of just a few races this year that will determine control of the closely divided chamber.
Republicans in Washington, eager to win back a seat the party held for 14 years before Ms. Sinema won it as a Democrat in 2018, have rallied around Ms. Lake, who has been backed by party leaders in the Senate. Mr. Trump has also supported her campaign.
But Ms. Lake still faces a hard sell within her own party.
In a Noble Predictive Insights poll last month, 27 percent of Republicans said they had a negative view of Ms. Lake, more than double the share of Democrats who said the same about Mr. Gallego. Of all Arizona voters, 49 percent had a negative opinion of Ms. Lake, compared to 40 percent who viewed her favorably.
Ms. Lake’s team highlighted her public appeal and successful fundraising efforts. She raised about $2.3 million in her first three months as a candidate, one of the strongest showings of any Republican. Much of this amount came from small donations, a sign of strong grassroots support.
“We have a great opportunity to bring our country together under conservative ideals,” Ms. Lake said in an interview. “I meet people every day who weren’t Trumpers. I sit with them and don’t change who I am. I say, ‘Look, we agree on this, this and that.'”
The open question is whether Ms. Lake can do without the conservative crowd-pleasers long enough to get that message across convincingly.
Jeff Fleetham, an Arizona Republican who was a Trump delegate to the last two Republican national conventions, endorsed Ms. Lake two years ago but said he didn’t think she could put old squabbles behind her. If she wins his party’s nomination, he said, he would not enter the race, which would be the first time he would not vote in a contest with a Republican candidate.
“She just seems to want the spotlight,” said Mr. Fleetham, who is supporting Mr. Lamb in the primary. “You can’t trust anything she says or does.”
Mr. Lamb, who gained national attention by refusing to enforce stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic, said in an interview that he drew on his experience as sheriff of a county on the U.S.-Mexico border, adding that woman. Lake’s support from Republicans in Washington would backfire.
“Having the people who screwed up this country behind you is not good in Arizona,” Mr. Lamb said.
Ms. Lake has reached out to one of Mr. Lamb’s supporters, former Rep. Matt Salmon, who ran against Ms. Lake in 2022. Mr Salmon said he ignored a text message from Ms Lake last month that came days after she taunted him during a radio interview for refusing to meet with her.
“There’s nothing authentic about her,” Mr. Salmon said. “She advertises her recommendations, but two years ago she would have criticized anyone with the same recommendations and declared them swamp creatures.”
At her rally in Cave Creek last week, some of Ms. Lake’s supporters said she should drop her false claims that she was cheated out of the governorship in 2022.
“It alienates a lot of people,” said Julee Miller, 47, of North Phoenix. “It would be nice if she tried to tone it down a bit and compromise here or there.”
But others said the issue showed their fighting spirit.
“Strengthen it up — we like that,” said Gary Savage, 67, of Cave Creek. “The opposite of an election denier is someone who is in the dark.”
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2024-03-23 09:02:19
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