Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake received an endorsement from a top Republican Senate leader on Wednesday, coming after Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) confirmed she would not seek reelection in 2024.
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, told news outlets that he would back Ms. Lake, also a Republican, in her bid for Ms. Sinema’s seat. Currently, she is likely to face Rep. Reuben Gallego (D-Ariz.) in the general election in November.
Days after he announced he'd be seeking to become the next Senate majority leader, Mr. Thune told the outlets that the race in Arizona is “critical for securing a Republican majority” in the upper chamber. “Kari Lake is the candidate in Arizona who will work to get the economy back on track and lower the cost of living for families, secure the border and enforce the law, and bring safety to our streets,” he added.
Ms. Lake, a former television anchor, responded by saying that Mr. Thune “worked to confirm President Trump’s judges and pass his agenda,” adding, “I am looking forward to doing that when we win Arizona and secure the Senate Majority.”
This week, after returning from a Washington trip, Ms. Lake, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, told NBC that she received “high-profile endorsements” and said would get “really big endorsements” in the coming days. She also suggested that other Republican senators who are seeking the Senate majority leadership position will also endorse her, but she didn’t elaborate.
The GOP leadership position will soon be left vacant, coming after current Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced that he will be stepping down in November. Others who are seeking the position include Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). Mr. Cornyn has endorsed Ms. Lake.
Mr. McConnell has not publicly endorsed Ms. Lake.
Mr. Gallego, meanwhile, got an endorsement from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) following Ms. Sinema’s announcement. The Senate leader said in a statement that Democrats are “fully behind” his bid.
Ms. Lake still has to win her primary election as she has a challenger in Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who announced a Republican run last year. He has not received any endorsements from current U.S. senators.
Sinema Announcement
With Ms. Sinema’s decision, it avoids a three-way contest in one of the most closely watched 2024 Senate races. That hard-to-forecast scenario had spawned fierce debate among political operatives about whether one major party would benefit in the quest for the Senate majority. Most analysts agreed she would have faced significant, likely insurmountable hurdles if she had decided to run.Ms. Sinema had raised money for a potential reelection campaign and significantly stepped up her public appearances in Arizona throughout 2023, though her activities slowed as her announcement neared. During her five years in office, she built a formidable campaign bank account pegged at $10.6 million at the end of last year, but her quarterly fundraising was outpaced by Mr. Gallego and Ms. Lake.
The senator was a Democrat for most of her political career until she left the party in December 2022, saying she did not fit into the two-party system. She had alienated many colleagues and her party’s base by blocking more left-wing priorities. In an era of party loyalty, she went out of her way to build relationships with Republicans.
