(NewsNation) — Kari Lake, former President Donald Trump surrogate and former GOP gubernatorial candidate for Arizona — believes none of the presidential candidates have any business running against Trump for the White House nomination.
Seven of the eight presidential hopefuls prepare for another GOP debate without an appearance from the former president, who is skipping the debate to visit striking UAW members in Michigan.
The debate will feature seven candidates: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson did not qualify for the debate stage.
Lake said she is waiting for the moment when the 2024 candidates back off the race and jump behind Trump.
“It’s almost comical that they’re showing up to debate when we have a [former] president who’s beating Joe Biden in polling by 10 points,” Lake said.
Trump has led the GOP presidential field with 67% of Republicans and 47% when it comes to those who lean Republican, a recent Quinnipiac University poll found.
Lake believes Trump is the strongest GOP candidate to take on Biden in the 2024 presidential election.
“There’s no chance they can come back from that kind of polling. It’s never happened before,” Lake said. “We’ve never seen this big of a lead in a primary, and I really think they should step out of the race.”
But while Trump has been successful so far in the polls, some other candidates, including Ramaswamy and Haley, have also seen bumps in support.
The debate Wednesday night could serve as an opportunity for the candidates to shine in the limelight as more GOP primary voters turn their attention to the race.
The Hill contributed to this report.
