The former Arizona Republican candidate for governor, Kari Lake, is considering a new career, which will not be welcome news to most Democrats. Lake made her surprising announcement of regarding her new path during a recent interview she did with One America News.
The wildly popular Republican firebrand who has been fiercly fighting for election integrity and has taken her case to court in her home state of Arizona, contesting the results of her race gubernatorial race, said she’s now “seriously considering” a new campaign in 2024 for an entirely different political position.
According to Mediate, Lake said “I am seriously considering a run for Senate, yes absolutely,” she said. “We’re not going away. And so I am seriously considering a run for Senate.”
According to her, her poll numbers are better than those of her rivals for the job, including current Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Democratic candidate Representative Ruben Gallego.
“All the polling shows that I would win,” she said. “Not just the primary, the polling is showing that I would beat Kyrsten Sinema and this socialist guy that’s running for the Democrats, [Rep. Ruben] Gallego.”
Lake and Gallego remain in a dead heat in the three-way race, while Sinema is far behind, polling in a distant third place.
Sen. Sinema’s old Democratic Party isn’t likely to be happy with her decision about whether or not she will run for reelection next year.
In a state that has become a new political battleground – and decidedly purple – in recent years, Sinema, who declared herself an Independent late last year but continued to caucus with Democrats, plans to run as a third-party candidate.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Sinema’s third-party bid could create a highly competitive three-way race for the Senate in Arizona, which would be disastrous for Democrats.
Sinema’s team held a staff retreat in Phoenix recently, according to sources familiar with the matter. According to a slide presentation reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, the group discussed a potential timeline for her candidacy. In spite of the fact that Sinema has not yet announced her intentions, the materials indicate that she is considering running for re-election, the WSJ reported.
“A re-election campaign by Ms. Sinema would have significant implications for the battle for the Senate in 2024 and will test whether a senator who has spurned a traditional party identity can build enough of a centrist coalition to win,” the outlet reported.
After Sinema left the Democratic Party to become an independent last year, some political strategists questioned whether she would seek reelection. She often clashed with progressive activists and party leaders during her time with the Democratic Party. However, she continues to caucus with the Democrats, however, and remains a key vote in their 51-49 majority, the WSJ noted.
“The slides reviewed by the Journal lay out details on timing. One slide breaks down the timeline through the remainder of 2023, including getting a poll and opposition research done by Sept. 30 and getting in place campaign staff by Dec. 31,” the paper said.
“Another slide on current communications strategy emphasizes her independent streak in the Senate. Ms. Sinema has been at the center of several high-profile bipartisan deals, including on infrastructure, gun and same-sex and interracial marriage laws, while also frustrating many Democrats over her efforts to sometimes block President Biden’s agenda,” the paper continued.
In further regards to the slide mentioned, the WSJ reports: “Kyrsten is an independent voice for Arizona. As Arizona’s senior senator, she’s committed to ignoring partisan politics, shutting out the noise and delivering real results helping everyday Arizonans build better lives for themselves and their families.”
There was no confirmation or denial of details of the staff retreat from Sinema’s office, according to a report. The deadline for filing for US Senate in Arizona is April 2024.
The congresswoman stressed her independent identity during a series of events on Thursday. The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and the national and state farm bureaus honored her with an award during last week’s luncheon. As she listed her accomplishments in Congress, she criticized lawmakers she called “show horses” who appear on television shows without putting in any effort.
According to Sinema, both the Democratic and Republican parties are moving to extremes, and she argued that by supporting the Senate filibuster, which requires 60 votes to advance most legislation, the country was protected from major policy swings.
“It’s our job to keep that pressure so that we stay right in the middle of public policy, protect the critical middle part of our country,” she passionately declared to attendees at the farm bureau event.
