Kari Lake, Arizona’s never-ending nightmare, jumps into Senate race

Kari Lake, Trump ally and sore loser of Arizona’s last election for governor, has filed paperwork to run in the state’s 2024 U.S. Senate race.

Lake’s campaign is expected to formally launch during an Oct. 10 event in Scottsdale.

The former local TV anchor is the likely favorite for the Republican nomination as she joins Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in the race. U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego is running for the Democratic nod. U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who currently holds the seat but recently left the Democratic Party to become an Independent, has not yet announced if she will run. If she does, it could create a three-way race.

Lake has gained notoriety for molding her political brand to be nearly identical to former President Donald Trump. She’s never held political office. She’s relentlessly spouted unfounded claims of election fraud and frequently launched verbal attacks on members of the press, and her speeches have insinuated a desire for her followers to commit violent acts against Trump’s prosecutors and political opponents.

On a podcast, she had difficulty answering what kind of firearms she owned, raising more suspicion that Lake was a political charlatan after she supported former President Barack Obama.

Arizona voters didn’t buy the show last year. Lake lost the governor’s race to then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs by about 17,000 votes.

Lake has continued to insist she won the gubernatorial election despite Arizona courts ruling that she did not, while an Arizona election official has sued her for defamation.