Kari Lake’s recent announcement that she will run for the GOP nomination for the Senate race against Ruben Gallego and (presumably, but not certainly) Senator #SingleTermSinema, is the culmination of the radicalization and Trumpification (and death knell) of the AZGOP as an electoral force in AZ politics.
You will recall that Kelli Ward, previously Chair of the AZGOP, ran for the GOP nomination for a seat in the Senate from Arizona in 2016 against incumbent John McCain – and was totally crushed. She ran again in 2018 and was totally trounced by Martha McSally, who was at that point trying to keep Trump at arm’s length, unlike Ward (and Arpaio, whom Trump had recently pardoned). When Senator McCain died in office, McSally was appointed after John Kyl resigned in attempt by Ducey to give McSally an incumbent edge for the 2020 cycle. She had fully embraced Trump by this point, and Mark Kelly beat her soundly. You could summarize this whole period as the MAGA wing of the GOP trying and repeatedly failing to capture either US Senate seat from Arizona. The result was the loss of BOTH US Senate seats by the GOP – you would think there might be a lesson therein?
In 2022, MAGA almost got their wish, with Kelli Ward heading the AZGOP and Trump endorsing billionaire money butler and creepy loser Blake Masters, whom Kelly again whipped soundly. Arguably, they rejected their best bet to capture the seat, AZAG Mark Brnovich, because he was insufficiently enthusiastic about election conspiracies – he had to actually deal in pesky ‘facts’ due to his day job’s interface with actual courts and judges who don’t often tolerate lies and nonsense… Unfortunately for the AZGOP, Blake was a terrible candidate, and really had only the grudging support of MAGA – they knew he was a wholly-owned tool of billionaire weirdo Peter Thiel, and not really “one of us”.
Now MAGA fascists have got the real deal – an election denying, conspiracy-spinning, Trump rumper of the highest and finest vintage ready to take the nomination for the AZGOP to US Senate: Kari #LyingLoserLake. Mark Lamb might as well drop out now that the marquee name with a fresh Trump endorsement has entered the race – Lake will certainly be nominated.
It is as if Kelli Ward has finally made it through the AZGOP primary in her most evolved and final form. Finally, the MAGA wing will get their wish of putting a real, dyed in the wool MAGA fascist up for election to the US Senate from Arizona.
They are going to be sorely disappointed by the result. Lake will be crushed by Kelly – regardless of whether Sinema ultimately decides to run. It will be a much larger margin than she was beaten for the Governorship by Hobbs, too. Kelly has incumbency, a moderate track record, and a portfolio of delivered policies benefitting Arizona – advantages Hobbs did have against Lake.
Will the AZGOP learn the lesson that Arizona’s voters have been attempting to teach them since 2016? Nope. Probably not. They will go on denying the political reality that most Americans and Arizonans reject Trump and Trumpism (i.e. fascist, racist, sexist, Evangelical Christian authoritarianism, dominionism, and anti-democracy). They will continue to double down on losing candidates and ideologies, deny reality, and drive their party completely out of power.
Already, the AZGOP is infamously dysfunctional and feckless – their inability to win elections and even keep the lights on is now world famous, with even The Economist noting their complete collapse and failure as a political force. Perhaps Kari Lake will finally be the test that disproves the AZGOP’s theory that Americans hanker to be slaves and not citizens, but I can’t say I am at all sanguine about the ability of the current crop of grifters and morons who control the AZGOP to learn ANY lesson from democratic elections. The only way for their control to be broken is for voters to reject them repeatedly until they are simply no longer able to compete in electoral politics at any level. Only then might sanity and real conservatives regain control of the AZGOP and the national party, much to my delight and relief.
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Not that Kari Lake isn’t mportant but don’t you have anything to say about what’s happening in israel?
Don’t you have some unconstitutional bill to prepare for the next session? How about working with someone across the aisle on something the majority can support that helps Arizona? Last I heard the Arizona legislature doesn’t do foreign policy, unless shipping containers are involved.
Not really. Israel has the right to exist and to defend itself and its citizens. Israel should not commit war crimes or crimes against humanity in response to the terrible crimes and inhumanity of the Hamas attack. There are very few useful things for Americans or do or say in this situation other than what our President has affirmed and advised in his public statements on the subject. I am totally in agreement with Biden’s efforts and policy in regards both the terrorism of Hamas against Israel and the aggression of Putin against Ukraine.
Attacking civilians is evil, no matter who’s doing the attacking.
Ooops, Kari Lake will be running vs Sinema-Independent and Ruben Gallego-Democrat.
Mark Kelley is not in this senate race.
Yes, Kelly is not up for reelection this year. If I implied such, that inference is incorrect. I was just trying to contextualize next year’s race among the recent Senate contests.