DES MOINES, Iowa — Arizona Republican Kari Lake teased a potential fall announcement for an Arizona Senate bid on the sidelines of the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa Friday.
“I’m thinking in the next couple of months I’ll be making a decision,” said Lake. When asked for a timetable, the 2022 candidate for governor said, “maybe sometime in the fall.”
Arizona is poised to be one of the key battlegrounds in the fight for the Senate this fall. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema switched her political allegiance from Democratic to independent in December 2022 and Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego announced his run for the senate seat back in January, setting up a three-way race for the seat. Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, a Republican, is also in the race already.
“I’ve looked at the polling, to be honest, and I believe I’m the only one who can win that race,” said Lake.
The former TV news anchor turned MAGA political star gained notice as a candidate for governor in 2022 — and for her failed legal challenges in an attempt to overturn the results of that race. Democrat Katie Hobbs defeated Lake by more than 17,000 votes. Lake has contested the results of that election in the courts but has failed to persuade Arizona judges of any foul play.
More recently, Lake has also garnered attention in recent months for her public appearances with former President Donald Trump. Lake cites Trump as one of her potential motivations to run for Senate.
“We have an opportunity to pick up a very important seat so that when President Trump gets back into office, he can have people in D.C. ready to back him up with this incredible agenda."