Arizona Republican Kari Lake, who is seeking election to the U.S. Senate, has received the endorsement of a top member of the GOP leadership team in the Senate.
Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming endorsed Lake on Monday, days after the fiery conservative said she would seek the seat currently held by independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, according to The Hill.
“Kari Lake will shine brightly for Arizona. She is a generational communicator who is giving voice to Arizona citizens,” Barrasso said in a statement.
“Joe Biden’s policies have crushed Arizona. Arizonans are dealing with record inflation — up 20 percent under the Biden administration. Arizona is also on the front lines of the worst illegal immigration crisis in American history. Nearly 8 million illegal immigrants under Biden, equal to the population of Arizona,” he said.
.@SenJohnBarrasso understands the need for us to have a united @GOP heading into 2024.@JoeBiden‘s agenda is hurting every class of American citizen.
I am focused on bringing our party together, & ready to restore America to greatness.https://t.co/oTUz0rQVHR
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) October 16, 2023
“The U.S. Senate needs a senator from Arizona that understands these issues and will fight hard to solve them,” he said.
Lake said she was “honored by the friendship and endorsement of Sen. Barrasso. He is a tested and proven conservative leader, who I greatly admire. I look forward to working with Sen. Barrasso to get America back on track and fire Chuck Schumer.”
Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, who chairs the Senate GOP campaign arm, said he has had “productive conversations with Kari Lake and her team.”
Lake faces one GOP opponent Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, according to Fox News. Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona has said he will seek the party’s nomination for the seat. Sinema, who was elected as a Democrat but is now an independent, has not said if she will seek a second term.
In comments to Fox News on Sunday, Lake linked Gallego and Sinema to President Joe Biden.
Gallego “has done nothing but rubber-stamp Joe Biden’s agenda,” Lake said, according to the Arizona Republic. “Joe Biden’s agenda is sending us to hell in a handbasket.”
“Kyrsten Sinema is the incumbent senator. She’s now a chameleon, acting like she’s not a Democrat anymore, acting like she’s an independent. But the fact of the matter is you just look at their voting records. They both vote with Biden almost a hundred percent of the time,” she said.
“They’ve been in Congress for about two decades combined, and what do we have to show for it? Just higher gas prices. Inflation is hitting Arizona the hardest of any place in the country,” she said.
In comments to One America News Network, Lake said America needs leaders like her who will fight and not surrender.
After likening world leaders to sharks, Lake said, “With Joe Biden, you can tell the man is feeble. He’s not strong. He’s not for America, and they can take advantage of him, and they’re taking advantage of America right now,” according to The Hill.
“I’m really tired of watching our politicians retreat from every single important battle. They’re cowards,” she said.
“That’s how we got into the mess we’re in right now because they have surrendered far too many hills. We are on — we’re on the final hill right now, and I’m not surrendering this hill,” Lake said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
