Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake (R) will officially launch a Senate campaign next month, her campaign confirmed Thursday.
The much-anticipated announcement — expected on Oct. 10 — will make Lake the most significant Republican to throw their hat into the ring for the Arizona seat held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I), which is expected to be one of the closest Senate races in 2024.
Lake, a former television news anchor who rose to prominence after losing the 2022 gubernatorial race to now-Gov. Katie Hobbs (D), has not yet conceded. She still contests she won the election and that it was fraudulently awarded to Hobbs.
She has also aligned herself closely with former President Trump, who made similar election fraud claims in 2020 after losing to President Biden. Lake has since hinted that she would be interested in being Trump’s running mate for his 2024 campaign.
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is expected to be her Democratic competition for the seat. Sinema has not yet made a decision, but the Democrat-turned-independent is expected to launch a reelection bid.
A three-way race would prove chaos at the ballot box, but early polling shows that Sinema’s candidacy may hurt the Republican candidate more than the Democrat.
Blake Masters, who ran an unsuccessful campaign against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) in 2022, is reportedly also considering another bid for Senate. This could set up a bitter primary between the candidates who campaigned together in the midterm election.
Trump reportedly told Masters in a phone call not to run, saying he’d likely lose to Lake in a primary.
Lake’s recent political activity has been in the courts, as she continues to challenge the 2022 results. Her legal team was ordered to pay more than $120,000 in penalties over baseless lawsuits in July.
She touted strong early primary polling in lobbying for her candidacy.
“I’ve looked at the polling, to be honest, and I believe I’m the only one who can win that race,” Lake said in July.