Arizona Republican Kari Lake revealed on Aug. 23 that she will decide whether to run for U.S. Senate in 2024 by the end of this year, adding that she believes the state is ready for a leader who will “put America first.”
“I will make that decision by the end of the year, yes,” Ms. Lake said when asked whether she would run for the Senate seat amid reports she is readying a 2024 bid.
“I’m seriously considering. We need a senator in Arizona who will put the people of Arizona first, who will put America first, who’s not a leftist who votes with Joe Biden 93 to 100 percent of the time, and I think Arizona’s ready for that,” she added.
Ms. Lake recently appeared on the campaign trail with Republican Bernie Moreno, who is running for a Senate seat in Ohio, but has so far not officially launched her campaign or stated whether she will, in fact, run for the Senate.
Should she enter the Senate race, Ms. Lake, who has been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump, will face Republican Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in the primary and possibly incumbent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) in the general election.
Americans in ‘Perilous Position’ Under Biden
Asked on Wednesday whether she wishes for a position as vice president under President Trump if he were to win the primary, Ms. Lake did not directly answer but instead said she was “wishing to get our country back.”“I’m wishing that people wake up and realize that we are in a really perilous position right now with our country and we have an opportunity to elect the greatest president in American history, President Donald J. Trump, to get back in office, enact his agenda 47, which will turn all of this disastrous, nightmarish conditions that Joe Biden has inflicted on us around, and turn this country around,” she said.
Eight Republican candidates appeared during Wednesday’s Republican primary debate: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur and first-time candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).
President Trump, who is currently leading in 2024 primary polls, skipped the debate.
Trump Debate Appearance ‘Not Needed’
Some lawmakers, including Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), have criticized President Trump for failing to make an appearance at the debate.However, Ms. Lake defended President Trump’s lack of appearance, pointing to polls suggesting he is the leading candidate by an overwhelming margin and adding that his appearance at the debate “doesn’t make sense” and “is not needed.”
“I know for a fact he will show up and debate the person he’s running against, which is Joe Biden,” she said. “He'll show up any day, any time, any hour to debate Joe Biden if Joe Biden is able to even handle himself in a debate,” Ms. Lake added.
“The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had, with Energy Independence, Strong Borders and Military, Biggest EVER Tax and Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, & much more,” he wrote. “I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
While he did not appear at the debates, President Trump still appeared to watch them and provided regular commentary on Truth Social, at one point praising Mr. Ramaswamy, who has vowed to pardon President Trump in all federal cases should he make it to the White House.
Sharing a snippet from the debate in which Mr. Ramaswamy declared President Trump “the best president of the 21st century,” President Trump wrote, “This answer gave Vivek Ramaswamy a big WIN in the debate because of a thing called TRUTH. Thank you Vivek!”
Despite having never run for public office, Mr. Ramaswamy appeared to dominate Wednesday’s debate.
