Kari Lake Picks Up Endorsement from Top Republican Senator

Kari Lake speaks at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at Hilton in Washington on June 24, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Kari Lake’s Arizona Senate campaign got a boost on Monday after securing an endorsement from Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).

“Kari Lake will shine brightly for Arizona,” Mr. Barrasso said in a statement. “She is a generational communicator who is giving voice to Arizona citizens.” Mr. Barrasso, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, is the third-ranking member in the Senate Republican leadership.

Ms. Lake officially launched her campaign on Oct. 10 to capture the Senate seat currently held by former Democrat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). The latest endorsement came less than a week after former President Donald Trump endorsed Ms. Lake’s Senate bid.

“Joe Biden’s policies have crushed Arizona. Arizonans are dealing with record inflation—up 20 percent under the Biden administration,“ Mr. Barrasso added. ”Arizona is also on the front lines of the worst illegal immigration crisis in American history. Nearly 8 million illegal immigrants under Biden, equal to the population of Arizona. The U.S. Senate needs a Senator from Arizona that understands these issues, and will fight hard to solve them.

“Kari Lake is in this race to make Arizona and America stronger. I’m endorsing Kari Lake for U.S. Senate.”

In response to Mr. Barrasso’s endorsement, Ms. Lake said in a statement that she was “honored by the friendship and endorsement” of the Wyoming senator.

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“He is a tested and proven conservative leader who I greatly admire. I look forward to working with Senator Barrasso to get America back on track and fire Chuck Schumer,” she said, referring to the Democratic Senate leader from New York.

Currently, Mark Lamb, a sheriff in Pinal County, is the only major opponent facing Ms. Lake in the race for the GOP nomination. Both Ms. Lake and Mr. Lamb have repeatedly defended President Trump amid an onslaught of indictments against him this year.

Ms. Sinema has not announced whether she will seek reelection. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who announced his candidacy in January, is currently the only major candidate seeking the Democratic nomination.

2024 Race

According to a recent poll conducted by National Research Inc., Ms. Lake held the lead in a hypothetical three-way race against Mr. Gallego and Ms. Sinema. The poll found Ms. Lake picked up 37 percent of support, 4 percentage points ahead of Mr. Gallego, while Ms. Sinema trailed with 19 percent. Another 10 percent said they were undecided.

However, in a two-way matchup, Ms. Lake and Mr. Gallego were in a tie, each netting 44 percent of support, while 12 percent were undecided.

The poll asked 400 likely voters in Arizona from Oct. 7 to Oct. 9.

In an interview with Newsmax on Monday, Ms. Lake explained why she decided to enter the Senate race, while reiterating her support for President Trump.

“I think that the very stark difference between 2 1/2 years of Joe Biden and his disastrous policy and the four years we had with President Trump is waking people up because everyone’s saying, ‘Wow our lives were better. We could afford things,’” Ms. Lake said.

“We can’t keep going in this direction. And that’s why President Trump is working so hard. Look, he’s got a great life, he doesn’t need to do this. He’s really worried about the direction of the country,” she continued. “That’s why I’ve jumped back into the U.S. Senate race, because I’m worried about the people that are running for Senate in Arizona, they are a rubber stamp for this disastrous policy.”

Ms. Lake said Phoenix is being hit “the hardest in the country” by inflation, with the homeless population and crime “spiking out of control.” In September, there were more than 260,000 illegal immigrant crossings at the southern border, a record-setting number in a single month, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“In Arizona, we are suffering greatly, and it’s not just because of our wide open border, but that’s contributing to a lot of it,” she said.

“We need to bring America-first people into office, into DC, into our states, into our local offices, and finally get things back on track.”