Former Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake said on Thursday that it would be a “big red flag” if any 2024 Republican presidential candidate did not believe her 2022 Arizona election was stolen.
“I ask you that every candidate who comes through — when they stand on this stage, when they’re shaking your hand, when they’re walking through town, taking your questions — that you ask them where they stand on election integrity,” Lake said at a local GOP event in Nevada, Iowa.
“And I think you should get even more specific, ‘Was the 2022 election for governor in Arizona stolen?’ And if they won’t say ‘Absolutely, yes,’ that’s a big red flag,” she added. “That’s a big red flag. Ask all of them.”
Lake lost the Arizona’s governor’s race to then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D) by about 17,000 votes, according to the Associated Press. However, the Trump-endorsed candidate has refused to accept the results and has continued to challenge the election in court.
She encouraged Republican voters on Thursday to ask every GOP candidate about her election, from former President Trump to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Lake even suggested they ask Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has yet to announce a 2024 bid.
“When Ron DeSantis comes, ask him where he stands,” she said. “And ask President Trump. And I’ll tell you what, I know that one of them will be honest with you about these elections. And one of them is Donald J. Trump.”
Lake has been floated as a potential 2024 running mate for the former president, recently winning a straw poll for the Republican vice presidential pick during the Conservative Action Political Conference (CPAC) in March.