Kari Lake Unloads On ‘Radical’ Battleground State Senate Opponent [WATCH]

Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake has launched a strong attack against her Democratic opponent, Rep. Ruben Gallego, accusing him of being a “radical” and misleading voters about his political stance.

Lake’s comments come after a resurfaced 2016 interview in which Gallego disparaged Trump voters, calling them “dumb” and the “worst people in the world.”

“Isn’t that terrible?” Lake said in an interview with Fox News, referencing Gallego’s past remarks. “He’s been lying about who he is. He’s trying to paint himself as a moderate, which is laughable if it wasn’t so dangerous.”

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Lake also claimed that Gallego “bullied” Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a moderate Democrat, out of the Senate race because “she wasn’t liberal enough.” She criticized Gallego’s attempts to present himself as a moderate, accusing him of supporting policies that align with the far-left.

“He’s doing all these ads trying to say he’s a moderate when, in fact, he’s voted to spend our federal dollars, our tax dollars, supporting sanctuary cities and states. He’s voted against securing our border every step of the way. He’s for an open border America,” Lake said.

Lake pointed to Gallego’s support for defunding the police and his co-sponsorship of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act as further evidence of his extremism. “He’s voted to defund the police. He actually co-sponsored the George Floyd legislation, which would have defunded the police nationwide,” she told Fox News.

Lake also took aim at Gallego’s stance on gender and sports, accusing him of supporting policies that allow biological men to compete in women’s athletics. “He wants biological men to participate in women’s athletics. That means it’s an end for girls sports,” she said. “It’s absolutely crazy, and he’s as radical as they come.”

With the race heating up, both candidates are focused on swaying independent voters, particularly in Maricopa County, the largest county in Arizona, where independents make up about a third of the electorate.

Despite Gallego leading by about 7 points in the Real Clear Politics average of polls, Lake expressed confidence that her campaign is gaining momentum.

“I do believe that independents are with me,” Lake said. “I think we’re doing pretty well, our polling is showing that we’re building on the independent vote. And I think a lot of Democrats, while he [Gallego] hates Trump voters and he hates Republicans, I don’t hate Democrats.”

Lake suggested that disaffected Democrats could play a key role in her campaign’s success, stating that many are beginning to question their party’s direction. “They’re realizing, looking at Kamala Harris and Ruben Gallego, and they’re saying, ‘Wait a minute, this isn’t the Democrat Party that I signed up for years ago.’”

Lake also addressed recent polling, expressing doubt about Gallego’s lead. “We have to go into it acting like we’re ten down, but we’re not ten down,” she said, noting that her internal polling shows the race to be much closer. “This is a very tight race. I’m proud of that, considering he spent $75 million. He’s been outspending us massively, and the fact that this is such a tight race is incredible.”

Lake also accused Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of funneling large amounts of money into the race, saying, “Chuck Schumer is in a panic about Arizona. He’s dumping 5 million bucks a week into Arizona.”

In addition to criticizing Gallego’s political record, Lake brought up his past before entering politics, including allegations of harassment by a 20-year-old intern while Gallego worked at city hall, his involvement with a bank that worked with illegal immigrants, and his time with an ambulance company investigated for fraud.

“The people of Arizona know me and they trust me, and I love the people of the state,” Lake said. “I want to represent all of them, including people who maybe don’t even vote for me. If you choose not to vote for me, I hope I can earn your vote, but I still want to represent you and I want to do a great job for you in Washington, D.C. We need decent, honest people back to D.C., and Ruben Gallego was not honest before he got into politics.”

With both candidates ramping up their campaigns, the Arizona Senate race is shaping up to be a critical contest that could have significant national implications in the 2024 election.

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