By Stacey Barchenger | Arizona Republic
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Kari Lake to be Arizona’s next governor, saying in a statement Lake will “will fight to restore Election Integrity (both past and future!).”
Lake is a former Fox 10 anchor who left journalism earlier this year shortly before announcing her run for the Republican nomination for governor. She has embraced Trump’s wing of the Republican party and is the only candidate for governor to explicitly say she believes Trump won Arizona in 2020, despite no evidence to support that claim.
“Few can take on the Fake News Media like Kari,” the statement from Trump reads, touting that the former journalist will protect the border and Second Amendment and end “woke” curriculum in schools. Lake is “strong on Crime” and will protect the military and veterans and opposes COVID lockdowns and cancel culture, the statement says.
The endorsement furthers Trump’s pattern of rewarding candidates who are loyal to his unsubstantiated claims that last year’s election was stolen from him. His endorsement, and support of his followers, could pay off for Lake in the crowded Republican primary in August.
Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican who drew Trump’s ire after Ducey certified that Joe Biden won the election, is term-limited and cannot run for office again next year. He leaves an open seat in a state widely seen as shifting politically, but one where GOP candidates still court Trump’s support.
