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Kari Lake avoided saying whether she would accept the role of former President Donald Trump's running mate for the 2024 election in a new interview.
Lake, a former local television news anchor who narrowly lost Arizona's gubernatorial race to Democrat Katie Hobbs in November, has been floated as a possible vice presidential candidate should Trump win the GOP nomination next year. She has positioned herself as a staunch conservative and a supporter of Trump's claims of widespread election fraud that have not been proven. Like Trump, she has refused to concede defeat in her election and has insisted that it was stolen.
During an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan on Monday, Lake was pressed about her political future. She is viewed as a rising star in the GOP and has been named a potential Senate candidate in 2024, as well.
However, she avoided saying whether or not she would accept the spot as Trump's running mate. While she compared the potential offer to being asked to join the British royal family, she also said she believes Trump does not even need a running mate in 2024.
"I don't think President Trump needs a vice president. He is that powerful as a leader, he doesn't really need anyone," she said.
Lake laid out exactly what qualities she hopes Trump considers when selecting his potential vice president. She said she hopes he picks somebody who "the media fears more than they fear him."
"And you know why I think he should do that? Because then they'll stop trying to take him down. He's the one man fighting for us in America," she said.
Morgan said Lake "sounds like you're making a little campaign ad to be his running mate," though Lake said she wants "nothing in return" for her support for the the former president.
Newsweek reached out to Lake's press team via email for comment.
Lake Addresses Possible Senate Run
She also addressed whether she would run for Senate in what is widely expected to be one of the most competitive races next year. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an independent and former Democrat, is up for reelection, but it remains unclear whether she will run again.
Republicans are banking on Sinema to siphon enough votes away from a Democratic candidate to boost a more conservative figure in the key swing state, and some hope Lake will jump into the race.
Lake hinted that she might run for Senate but said her top priority is focusing on her lawsuits challenging the results of her 2022. Last week, her legal team was sanctioned for making "false factual statements" about the race, but she pledged to continue moving forward with the case.
"If, for some reason, we don't get a fair outcome in our election, I will run for Senate most likely," she said.
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more