Kari Lake says she’ll decide on Arizona Senate run by year’s end

Former Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake said Wednesday she will decide whether she’s running for Senate in the Grand Canyon State by the end of the year.

“I will make that decision by the end of the year, yes,” Lake said when asked on NewsNation’s “The Hill.” NewsNation is owned by Nexstar, which also owns The Hill. 

“I’m seriously considering — we need a senator in Arizona who will put the people of Arizona first, who will put America first, who’s not a leftist who votes with Joe Biden 93 to 100 percent of the time, and I think Arizona’s ready for that,” she added.

Lake, a vocal Trump supporter who lost to Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) by less than 1 point in 2022, has been weighing a Senate bid to take on Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who has not yet said whether she’s running for another term. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is expected to be the Democratic nominee, and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb has announced a run on the Republican side.

If Sinema ends up running, it could make for an unusual and high-stakes three-way race. Sinema’s seat is rated as a “toss up” by the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report. 

During the interview, Lake also dodged several questions regarding whether she was interested in a position as former President Trump’s running mate.

“You know what I’m wishing for? I’m really wishing to get our country back,” Lake said on “The Hill.”

“I’m wishing that people wake up and realize that we are — we’re in a really perilous position right now with our country and we have an opportunity to elect the greatest president in American history — President Donald J. Trump — to get back in office, enact his agenda 47, which will turn all of this disastrous, nightmarish conditions that [President] Joe Biden has inflicted on us around and turn this country around,” she said, going on to name issues such as parental rights and securing the U.S. southern border. 

Pressed again about whether she was interested in being Trump’s vice presidential pick, Lake declined to say directly if she was eying the role.

“I’ll do anything I can to help him get reelected, but I think he’ll probably make a choice for VP in a year,” she said at one point.

Lake also said during the interview that she thinks Trump would debate Biden.

“I believe he will,” Lake said. “I absolutely know if Joe Biden wanted to debate President Trump today he would show up and debate Joe Biden.”