Former television personality Kari Lake may have secured the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat, but GOP insiders in Arizona are sounding alarms following her victory on Tuesday against a modestly funded conservative rival.
In her column for AZCentral, journalist Laurie Roberts, a consistent critic of Lake, highlighted the apprehension within the state. According to Roberts, the controversial conservative, who has been trailing Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in the polls, needed to capture over 60 percent of the GOP vote to demonstrate her viability for the November election.
However, as Roberts noted, Lake fell short, stalling at approximately 55 percent as of Wednesday afternoon, per NBC News. “A disappointing number given that she was the presumptive Republican nominee even before she announced she was running for the Senate last year and was endorsed by Trump soon after,” Roberts wrote.
Roberts emphasized that Lake needed a 60 percent or higher vote share to “show the D.C. money crowd that she can be competitive against Democrat Ruben Gallego.” Local GOP insider Tyler Montague echoed this sentiment, lamenting, “Lake’s underwhelming numbers are a bad sign for her general election.”
Before the vote counts were finalized, Republican consultant Barrett Marson warned, “If [Lake’s opponent, Pinal County Sheriff Mark] Lamb gets 35% to 40%, that’s a huge problem for Lake.” Lamb was at 39.2 percent on Wednesday morning.
Describing other races on the Arizona ballot as a “disaster for traditional Republicans,” Roberts concluded, “The story of the night is Lake, who didn’t deliver the numbers she needed to be considered a top-tier candidate for grabbing a Senate seat.”
As Lake moves forward, her ability to rally more substantial support will be crucial for her campaign. The less-than-expected primary results have raised questions about her general election prospects and her capacity to unite the Republican base against a strong Democratic opponent in Ruben Gallego.