Kari Lake launched her Senate bid in Arizona showing every intention of shedding the trimmings of the Trumpism that made her a star in conservative circles but cost her the governorship two years ago: baseless claims of voter fraud, ruthless attacks on fellow Republicans and servile tributes to former President Donald J. Trump.
Ms Lake, a former TV presenter, has reached out to her critics. She tried to appeal to the Republican establishment in a way Trump didn’t, casting his Make America Great Again movement as a natural evolution of the Reaganism that attracted masses of voters to the party greater than 40 years ago. She also moderated her message on abortion, opposing a federal ban on the procedure, which she once called “the ultimate sin.”
But six months into her run as a Senate candidate, she is trying to move away from controversial positions which have alienated independents and discouraged potential allies, attacking in a way that Republicans backing her campaign warn will end in one other defeat.
Last week at a campaign event in Cave Creek, Arizona, she announced plans to proceed her legal motion over her 2022 election defeat, criticized Republicans as cowards for not supporting her fight and claimed without evidence that Democrats were organizing illegal voting schemes with involving illegal immigrants.
“The only way they can win is by voting illegally,” Ms. Lake said.
Ms. Lake built a national political personality in a remarkably short time, and the lines of applause electrified every corner of MAGA Nation. Now, in her second high-profile battleground campaign in years, her attempt to soften her approach enough to win a Senate seat is proving to be a tall order, even for somebody with communication skills honed after a long time within the local television news business.
Many moderate Republicans in Arizona oppose her proposal, criticizing Ms. Lake’s proposals as inappropriate and disingenuous. Some conservatives who supported her in 2022 have expressed concerns about her authenticity and questioned her ability to win in November.
“Kari Lake is making a lot of rookie mistakes and you just don’t know what you’re going to get with her or where she’s going to land,” said Dan Farley, chairman of the Arizona Tea Party and a former supporter who now supports her primary opponent, Sheriff Mark Lamb of Pinal County. “It’s a powerful force, but it’s a bit like a bazooka with no target. Instead of enemies in the driveway, he blows up his own garage.
Public polls show Ms. Lake is the clear favorite for Mr. Lamb. He’s also close to Rep. Ruben Gallego, the leading candidate for the Democratic Senate nomination. The race for the seat being vacant by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent lawmaker, is one of the few that will determine control of the closely divided chamber this year.
Republicans in Washington, eager to reclaim the seat the party held for 14 years before Ms. Sinema won it in 2018 as a Democrat, have rallied around Ms. Lake, who has won the support of party leaders in the Senate. Trump also supported her campaign.
But Ms. Lake still faces a difficult situation within her own party.
IN vote last month from Noble Predictive Insights, 27 percent of Republicans said they had an unfavorable opinion of Ms. Lake, more than twice the percentage of Democrats who said the same about Mr. Gallego. Of all Arizona voters, 49 percent had a negative view of Ms. Lake compared to 40 percent who viewed her positively.
Ms. Lake’s team highlighted her public appeal and successful fundraising efforts. She raised about $2.3 million in the first three months of her candidacy, one of the best results for any Republican. Much of this sum came from small donations, demonstrating strong grassroots support.
“We have an incredible opportunity to unite our country under conservative ideals,” Ms. Lake said in an interview. “I meet people every day who weren’t Trumpers. I sit with them and don’t change who I am. I say, “Listen, we agree on this, this and that.”
The open question is whether Ms. Lake can set aside her audience’s conservative leanings long enough to convey this message persuasively.
Jeff Fleetham, an Arizona Republican who was a Trump delegate to the previous two Republican National Conventions, endorsed Ms. Lake two years ago but said he didn’t think she could move on from old conflicts. If he wins his party’s nomination, he said, he will not vote in the race, which would be the first time he has skipped voting in a contest against a Republican candidate.
“It seems like she just wants to be the center of attention,” said Mr. Fleetham, who is supporting Mr. Lamb in the first. “She cannot be trusted in everything she says and does.”
Lamb, who has gained national attention for refusing to implement stay-at-home orders throughout the coronavirus pandemic, said in an interview that he drew on his experience as a county sheriff on the U.S.-Mexico border in his campaign, adding that Ms. Lamb’s endorsement and from Washington Republicans it could backfire.
“Supporting people who have screwed up this country is not a good situation in Arizona,” Lamb said.
Ms. Lake contacted considered one of Mr. Lamb’s supporters, former Rep. Matt Salmon, who is running against Ms. Lake in 2022. Mr. Salmon said he ignored Ms. Lake’s text message last month, which got here days after she mocked her. during a radio interview for refusing to meet with her.
“There is nothing authentic about it,” Mr. Salmon said. “She touts her endorsements, but two years ago she would have criticized anyone with the same endorsements and called them swamp creatures.”
At her rally in Cave Creek last week, a few of Ms. Lake’s supporters said she should drop false claims that she was defrauded and stripped of her governorship in 2022.
“It turns a lot of people off,” said Julee Miller, 47, of North Phoenix. “It would be nice if she tried to soften the tone a little, compromise here or there.”
Others, nevertheless, said the difficulty showed her fighting spirit.
“Strengthen it – we like it,” said Gary Savage, 67, of Cave Creek. “The opposite of an election denier is someone in the dark.”
