In Arizona, Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Kari Lake is widely expected to win the state’s GOP primary at the end of July.
On Tuesday night, she was one of several swing-state Senate candidates who spoke during an hour-long block of the Republican National Convention.
Lake’s speech never strayed from her usual talking points: attacking the “fake news” media, pillorying her political rival — Rep. Ruben Gallego, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the Senate seat — as a carbon copy of President Joe Biden, while also describing herself as a “mama bear” who will fight for Arizona’s children and families in Washington, D.C.
“Actually, I can think of one thing more dangerous than a grizzly bear,” Lake said, “and it’s a middle-aged fed up mother in D.C.," Lake said.
“And I haven’t even started my hot flashes yet, guys, just wait.”
Lake, who still denies her 2022 gubernatorial loss to Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, also touched on the overarching themes of the evening, crime and public safety, by highlighting drugs being smuggled across Arizona’s southern border.
"We are losing a generation of young people to this fentanyl crisis and it’s got to stop. The Grand Canyon State has become the fentanyl state, and it’s not ok with this mom,” Lake said. “I’m not OK with that.”
Lake ended her speech with a message of unity, claiming that the media is attempting to divide Americans.
“The fake news wants us to believe we’re 50/50 at each other’s throats,” Lake said. “They’re creating division and anger. Americans are actually much more united than people believe.”
Lake is an avid supporter of former President Donald Trump, and gained his endorsement.
-
Find everything you need to know about elections in Arizona and Maricopa County from KJZZ's politics team.
-
Candidates running to be the state’s top schools chief sparred over the best way to administer private school vouchers in a debate on Tuesday.
-
Questions remain about whether the way the ballot order is set in Arizona is fair, and whether those listed first have a small but potentially significant advantage.
-
Maricopa County is looking to fill 4,000 positions to help run its 200-plus polling centers on Election Day in November.
-
Democratic congressional candidate Amish Shah is touting an endorsement from the “Arizona Independent Party.” But, legally speaking, there is no such party in the state.