How many times can Republicans run head-first into a wall before realizing that candidates matter in elections? Kari Lake is here to test that theory.

Former TV news anchor Kari Lake won the GOP Senate primary in Arizona on Tuesday, meaning that she will be the nominee against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in a race that is crucial to GOP control of the chamber. That is terrible news for the GOP, given Lake’s embarrassing loss in 2022 in the Arizona governor’s race to a weak Democratic opponent and the subsequent political toxication of her image by her baseless claims that the election was stolen from her.