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Kari Lake, the perpetually soft-lit, camera-ready political newcomer from Arizona, may have lost her bid to become the state’s next governor, but it’s unlikely she’ll leave the spotlight.
A Phoenix-area news anchor for 22 years, Lake called it quits in 2021 and decided to go all in on politics. She fended off better-funded, more qualified GOP challengers in the primaries and ran a ground game in the general election in which she regularly made headlines for tearing into fellow reporters and mocking her political opponent.
DEMOCRAT HOBBS CLAIMS VICTORY OVER LAKE IN ARIZONA GOVERNOR RACE
Lake ran a full Trumpist campaign and pushed a familiar but divisive message that questioned the legitimacy of the country’s election system. She also ramped up the rhetoric and peddled conspiracy theories about the border, Mexicans, and crime with a smile. Her fans ate it up.
Despite losing to Democratic rival Katie Hobbs, Lake has positioned herself as an up-and-coming conservative star — which may have been her goal all along.
“This whole campaign was about her trying out for a gig as a commentator or an anchor for [Right Side Broadcasting Network] or [One America News Network],” Arizona Republican strategist Barrett Marson told the Washington Examiner. “She certainly has a future on television if that’s the way she chooses to go.”
GOP strategist Rory McShane agreed, telling the Washington Examiner that Lake can “do whatever she wants to do” post-election.
While her bombastic style may have made her unpopular with some GOP voters in the general election, Lake’s impressive showing in the Republican primary proved she can hold her own and motivate conservatives, Marson said.
“Someone who can galvanize a base and knows how to command a microphone can find a path in politics, fundraising, and speaking engagements,” he said. “Just look to what Stacey Abrams did over the last few years and the empire she built and, quite frankly, the grift. Between her and Beto [O’Rourke], how many losers can be anointed the next big thing in the Democratic Party?”
LIZ CHENEY DUNKS ON KARI LAKE AFTER DEFEAT IN ARIZONA GOVERNOR’S RACE
McShane added Lake now has enough clout to make power moves.
“At some point, a congressional seat is going to open up, and she could be the odds-on favorite for that by far,” he said. “I think she could also be Primetime with Kari and have a bazillion viewers. I think there are a lot of possibilities, but I think the underlying point is that the conservative movement is really, really a fan of hers.”
Political consultant Lorna Romero took a more cautious approach and said how Lake handles her election loss to Hobbs could make or break her career.
“If she concedes graciously in the coming days and weeks, then I think there could be a path for her in the future in politics in Arizona,” Romero told the Washington Examiner, adding that Lake should take time to rebrand and start associating herself with people outside the Trumpshere. “From what I have seen [Wednesday] and what she has been retweeting on social media and whatnot, it still seems like she is mulling over a potential lawsuit over the way Maricopa County handled the election. If she goes down that route, I think she will forever be branded as a Trump-type candidate. I think her political career in Arizona will be over. At that point, her only path would be to be on a conservative talk show somewhere.”
Romero added that if Lake pivots from former President Donald Trump, her career could skyrocket.
“She has the name ID, she has the skill and talent to do something, so it’s just a question of who she decides to associate herself with moving forward,” Romero said. “If it’s the Trump camp and the Trump advisers who have led her down the path where she is now, I don’t see too much success in the future for her, especially in this shifting political nature in Arizona.”
Unlike other Trump-endorsed candidates who lost their races across the country, Lake doubled down when her race was called Monday, tweeting, “Arizonans know BS when they see it.”
She had spent the week before hinting at fraud, without proof, and leveling accusations against election officials in Maricopa County, purposely playing into fears that the election was somehow rigged and that people’s votes weren’t being counted correctly.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
In the lead-up to Trump’s announcement Tuesday night that he is launching a third White House bid, rumors had surfaced that Lake may be tapped as his running mate. Marson, however, dismissed the idea.
“Trump doesn’t like losers and she lost,” he said.
