Kari Lake in Cave Creek, Arizona, June 5, 2022. Photo courtesy of Kari Lake for Governor.
Independent, and former Democrat, Senator Kyrsten Sinema has signaled that she will not be running for reelection in Arizona. Her departure from the race leaves Kari Lake as the presumptive GOP nominee and presumably Rep. Ruben Gallego for the Democrats. Kari Lake is an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, while Gallego is a radical progressive. Neither fits the mold of the typical Arizona senator, which is to say, part of the establishment. Sinema’s exit opens up the possibility of a GOP pickup in Arizona in a year already tough for Democrats. Lake has long been a MAGA movement darling, but now she apparently will even be endorsed by Sen. John Thune, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate. Axios reports:
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the number two Republican in the Senate, is endorsing Kari Lake in her Arizona Senate bid, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The Lake endorsement is a reversal from Thune’s long-term criticism of the MAGA movement, as he seeks to be the next Senate GOP leader.
- Thune has a strained past with the Trump wing of the party, not endorsing the former president until late last month. Instead, he first threw his support behind Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-S.C.) White House bid.
- Trump endorsed Thune’s GOP primary challenger in 2022.
- Lake, who aggressively pushed theories that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, is a darling of the GOP’s right wing.
The big picture: Thune announced Monday that he was seeking to be the next Senate GOP leader.
- But Trump has been urging Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) to run for the position, Axios reported last week.
- Lake and other Republicans who may be elected to the Senate would have a say over who will be the next GOP leader.
Between the lines: Lake is endorsed by Trump and a number of his allies, like Daines and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who is running for GOP whip.
- But she has also picked up the support of Thune and other lawmakers who are not as closely aligned with the former president, like Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).
What they’re saying: Thune told Axios that the Arizona race is “critical for securing a Republican majority” in the chamber.
Read more here.
