The tables have turned. The RNC has been forced to make a decision they won’t like.
Because Kari Lake just played the GOP establishment like a fiddle.
According to the latest reports from Washington, D.C., the Senate Republican Campaign Committee has stated on Tuesday that they are backing Republican candidate Kari Lake in the fight for the U.S. Senate seat from Arizona.
Although they had not yet made an endorsement in Arizona’s primary, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) had recruited Republican contenders for key contests in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Montana, and Michigan. Democrat favorite Rep. Ruben Gallego and independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who has not yet declared her intention to seek reelection, might find themselves in a heated three-way campaign for the seat now that Lake is fully in the game.
According to NRSC Chairman Steve Daines of Montana, “Kari Lake is one of the most talented candidates in the country”.
“Kari is building out an effective campaign operation that has what it takes to flip Arizona’s Senate seat in November. I’m proud to endorse Kari Lake for United States Senate.”
According to a person familiar with the arrangements, a fundraiser for Lake will be held in Washington, D.C. on March 6 by the NRSC. The event will be attended by Daines and John Barrasso of Wyoming, who is the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.
The revelation was initially reported by Politico, but Lake expressed her gratitude to Chairman Daines and the NRSC in a statement she gave to the publication. “We are uniting Republicans in Arizona and have a clear path to victory, The Senate Majority runs through Arizona,” Lake noted.
Barrasso, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty, Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul are among the senators who have endorsed Lake. Former President Donald Trump is also crucially on Lake’s side. Additionally, Lake has received the support of Republican Representatives Elise Stefanik of New York, Jim Banks of Indiana, and Matt Gaetz of Florida.
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb is one of the lesser-known Republicans challenging Lake in the primary.
Along with the divisive campaigns of Democrat Senators Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the Cook Political Report labels Sinema’s seat as a “Toss Up.”
Retired Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, Nevada Army veteran Sam Brown, Michigan former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers, and Pennsylvania former hedge fund CEO David McCormick are all receiving endorsements from the NRSC. In the Ohio Senate primary, where several well-known Republicans are vying for the nomination, the Senate GOP’s official campaign arm is taking a neutral stance. Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, they are courting GOP businessman Eric Hovde.
This news of the Senate GOP establishment’s official support for Kari Lake comes right on the heels of the leaked audio between Kari Lake and Jeff DeWitt in which DeWitt sounds as if he was sent from top GOP brass to try and convince Kari Lake to not run for U.S. Senate.
Kari Lake, in the audio, was insistent that she was going to run no matter what the establishment cronies in Washington, D.C. thought about her chances to win.
At one point, DeWitt sounds as if he may have even been sent to ask her if she could be bought out of the race with a blank check.
Lake was offended by the implication and told DeWitt she simply wouldn’t be bought out and that there was no number the GOP establishment could give her to not run for the Arizona U.S. Senate seat.
Since then, Lake’s support has only grown. Many conservative voters were surprised to hear that leaked recording but were relieved that Kari Lake exhibited character and strong principles in the face of a bribe.
Kari Lake leads the Republican primary polls in the state of Arizona, but surveys show that the general election season will be a tough, knock-down-dragout to win the critical U.S. Senate seat.
You can listen to the leaked audio below:
Full audio from the Kari Lake leaked taped where AZ GOP Jeff DeWitt tries to bribe her. pic.twitter.com/S7SW7ABC1x
— Dex James (@realDexJames) January 25, 2024
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
