In the last three months of 2023, Lake raised more than $1 million less than her Democratic opponent, Rep. Ruben Gallego. The fundraising gap is a bad sign for Lake, who is also trailing Gallego in the polls.
Big Haul
Since announcing her campaign to represent Arizona in the US Senate in October, Lake has raised $2.1 million, according to her campaign. “Kari Lake is out working everyone,” her campaign stated, “posting a very strong fundraising haul for her first quarter in the race.”
Size is Relative
However, Democratic challenger Gallego raised $3.3 million over the same timeframe. In total, the representative has a cool $6.5 million in his campaign war chest.
Fighting Talk
“Kari is well positioned to win in November,” Lake’s campaign insisted. However, a poll in November put her four points behind Gallego in a hypothetical three-person race including incumbent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.
Complicated Race
Sinema made headlines in December 2022 when she announced that she was leaving the Democratic Party. Along with Joe Manchin, Sinema has frequently frustrated Democrats by refusing to support certain bills, such as one that would have forced pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices.
Special Snowflake
“I have never fit perfectly in either national party,” Sinema said upon announcing her departure. At the time, Gallego stated that Arizona needed “senators who will put Arizonans ahead of big drug companies and Wall Street bankers.”
Uncertain Future
It’s unclear if Sinema will run to retain her seat. If she does, she faces a tough battle: None of the six most recent polls covering a three-candidate race have her ahead.
Big Spender
According to Sinema’s most recent fundraising report, released in late 2023, her campaign has more than $10 million in the bank. That’s significantly more than either Gallego or Lake.
Tight Race
Things are closer between Lake and Gallego, however. Of the eight most recent polls, Lake is ahead in three, while Gallego leads in the other five. Neither polled over 50%.
Determined to Win
“Our campaign has built the infrastructure to take on whatever comes our way,” Gallego’s campaign manager stated. The representative’s campaign claims to have received donations from “hundreds of thousands” of individuals.
Second Attempt
In 2022, Lake ran for Arizona governor, losing to Democrat Katie Hobbs by more than 17,000 votes. Lake refused to concede, instead baselessly alleging that the election had been fraudulent.
Pending Punishment
Lake is currently facing a defamation lawsuit from a senior Arizona election official. Lake accused the official of adding “300,000 illegal ballots” to the election.
Judge Denial
In December, a judge refused Lake’s request to have the lawsuit dismissed. The judge concluded that Lake’s statements were not “descriptive language,” explaining that they “may be discerned by a factfinder as either true or false when considered in the light of any available evidence.”
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