(ConservativeSense.com) – The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has endorsed Kari Lake in her bid for a Senate seat. Commentators say this signals that the Arizona firebrand is moving to the center and winning the approval of the Republican establishment. Her previous gubernatorial campaign in 2022 ended in a narrow defeat, and she blamed vote rigging but appears to have moved on.
“I am honored to have the endorsement of Chairman Daines and the NRSC,” Lake said, adding that uniting Arizona Republicans will create a “clear path to victory.”
Her loss to Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs, however, indicates that she may have a steep hill to climb in a state that is leaning toward Democrats. It narrowly voted for Joe Biden in 2020, elected Democrat Senator Mark Kelly the same year, and backed then-Democrat Krysten Sinema. Sinema left the Democrats mid-term and hasn’t yet declared if she intends to compete in 2024.
Nevertheless, the key NRSC endorsement will likely boost Lake and encourage donors to get behind her. She lost support after 2020, with people alarmed by her passionate encouragement of Donald Trump’s election-rigging claims. Commentators say she has worked hard in the past year to put that behind her and court the support of the Washington elite, which all but ensures her nomination in the Grand Canyon State, but she is not without her opponents there.
In January, Arizona Republican Party chairman Jeff DeWit resigned when a leaked recording revealed him asking Lake to bow out of the race. On the tape, DeWit tells Lake that “very powerful people” oppose her Senate bid and want a “fresh face” to give the GOP a better chance of taking control of the Senate.
DeWit reportedly offered Lake money to stand down and told her to name her price for staying out of politics for two years. He also said that Donald Trump would lose the Presidential election. Ms. Lake refused, stating she wouldn’t do it for a billion dollars.
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