Kari Lake's Political Ambitions Laughed at by Katie Hobbs

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, let out a chuckle after CNN host Kaitlan Collins mentioned that her former Republican rival Kari Lake might run again to represent the state in 2024.

Talking with Collins on CNN Live, Hobbs was asked what she thought about speculations that Lake might launch a campaign for the state's Senate seat next year, despite not yet having conceded to her after the November 2022 gubernatorial election.

According to recent media reports, Lake is deciding whether to join a three-way race for the state's Senate seat, which involves independent incumbent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego. Republican Mark Lamb, the sheriff of Pinal County, has announced his bid.

Katie Hobbs, Kari Lake
A composite image of Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (L) and 2022 Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake (R). Recent unconfirmed reporting said Lake might run again, this time to represent the state of Arizona in the... Getty Images

Speaking at the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa in July, Lake said about the 2024 state Senate race: "I'm thinking in the next couple of months I'll be making a decision." She said that she'll be taking a decision "maybe sometime in the fall," as reported by NBC News.

When Collins mentioned that Lake still refuses to concede, claiming to have won the gubernatorial race despite losing to Hobbs by a margin of 17,000 votes, Hobbs let out a chuckle.

"What do you make of her trying to represent your state again?," Collins asked the Democratic governor.

"I think it would mean she would have to admit she's not actually the governor if she chose to launch a Senate bid," she said. "I think Arizonians are tired of her continued election denialism and conspiracy theories, and that's something that they would get the chance to have their say next November."

For months after the election, Lake and her lawyers tried to prove that she was the winner of the gubernatorial race, alleging there were thousands of fraudulent votes added to the final count and accusing Maricopa County officials of malpractice. Her claims were thrown out of court in May and deemed false.

Hobbs, who was sworn into office in January, has sought legal action over Lake's claims.

Despite the apparent dead end reached by Lake's legal efforts to overturn the results of the state gubernatorial election, the failed Republican nominee has not yet conceded victory to Hobbs.

It's not clear whether Lake, a former TV anchor, will run for the Senate seat next year. On Tuesday, a source familiar with the developments told Axios that the MAGA leader is expected to spend most of September in Arizona "interviewing potential staff and consultants."

A senior adviser to Lake said that "she's seriously considering a run for the United States Senate and will be making a final decision this fall."

Newsweek contacted Lake for comment through a form on her website and Hobbs via email on Thursday.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more