Lake planning to vote early in Arizona

Arizona GOP Senate nominee Kari Lake is planning to vote early Thursday, despite having previously criticized the practice as part of her broader claims about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election and her own unsuccessful 2022 gubernatorial run.

Lake said in a statement that she decided to vote early because it gives the GOP “the upper hand,” giving additional time to win as many votes as possible. Politico Playbook first reported Lake’s plans, reporting she will vote at a polling location in Scottsdale. 

“The earlier we bank our votes, the more time we have to chase down and turn in every last ballot,” she said. “This is how we win — by being smart, staying ahead, and making sure every vote counts. We’re going to deliver a huge win for Arizona and secure victories for President Trump, myself, and Republicans across the state!” 

Lake is running for Arizona’s Senate seat against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) to succeed retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I). She has been an ardent defender of former President Trump’s false claims of voter fraud costing him reelection in 2020 and refused to concede her 2022 loss in the governor’s race to Democrat Katie Hobbs, filing lawsuits claiming that some fraudulent votes were counted and should be thrown out. 

Lake called for one-day voting while running for governor and told ABC News that the Constitution does not reference an “election season” and that “the longer you drag that out, the more fraught with problems there are.” 

But the candidate seems to be embracing the method this year as she tries to win the Senate seat. 

A spokesperson for Lake’s campaign told Politico that Lake is committed to supporting early and mail-in voting this cycle and ensuring that “every ballot mailed out is properly filled in, returned, and counted.”

Polling has shown Gallego with a lead over Lake, up about 8 percentage points in the Decision Desk HQ/The Hill polling index.

Updated at 11:43 a.m. EDT