(NewsNation) — Former Republican Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake expressed continued support for former President Donald Trump in a NewsNation interview amid reports she is exploring a potential Senate run.
Lake claimed the “Republican Party was on life support” before Trump and says former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis should concede that Trump is going to be the GOP nominee in 2024.
“I think people, like the folks who are running against him, like Mike Pence and DeSantis, need to realize that President Trump is going to be the nominee,” Lake said during an appearance on “The Hill on NewsNation” on Monday. “He’s going to go on and beat Joe Biden, and we’re going to turn things around.”
Pence filed paperwork Monday declaring his 2024 presidential campaign. He is expected to formally launch his White House bid during a kickoff event Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who launched his presidential campaign last month, has consistently been polling in second behind Trump.
“We know we have an incredible leader in President Trump, who’s already saved the day once and can go in and do it again. Why should we risk somebody who doesn’t know what they’re doing?” Lake said, in part. “If you can go see the original Elvis, why would you want a cheap knockoff?”
Lake is considering a run for Arizona Senate despite her unfounded legal claims about what she believes are rigged elections.
NewsNation host Leland Vittert questioned: “Are you going to make a decision about running for Senate in Arizona? And if you thought the last election was ‘rigged’ or ‘unfair’ in your words, the laws haven’t changed, all of your challenges have been overturned and the courts have dismissed them. What makes you think that 2024 election is going to be fair and why would you even consider running in it?”
Lake said she is “continuing to fight” and pursue more legal cases.
“We’re actually opening people’s eyes as to what happened in the election in Arizona. People are waking up to how they cheated, how they rigged our Election Day,” Lake said.
Following the interview, NewsNation senior political contributor George Will described Vittert’s exchange with Lake as a “run-up against the buzz saw of denial.”
Judges have dismissed Lake’s claims challenging her loss in last year’s Arizona gubernatorial race to Gov. Katie Hobbs.
“The fight continues in the courts, and she’s losing everywhere in the courts, including courts staffed by judges appointed by her man, Trump,” Will said.
He later added: “Show us the evidence. That’s all. Facts matter. Evidence matters. Just show us the evidence of the ‘stolen elections.’ It’s very difficult to get the American people to go to the polls, looking back, saying, ‘I’m going to vote this time, because last time the vote was…’ That’s not how elections work in this country, nor should they.”