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By Giulia Carbonaro
Senior Reporter
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Kari Lake thanked "bulletproof" Donald Trump for his endorsement and support after winning the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Arizona on Tuesday, saying she will be his "backup in Washington."
"We all share one common hero, and I think I'm safe to say that we think of our favorite president Donald J. Trump as a hero, right?" Lake told a crowd of supporters gathered to celebrate her victory in the primary.
"I want to thank him not only for his endorsement, that means a lot to me, but I want to thank him for more than that: his support, his advice, his friendship, and his strength. That guy is bulletproof; he's literally bulletproof, guys!" Lake added, as the audience clapped and cheered.
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"He's got God; we've got God," Lake said. "Somebody said to me the other day, 'God save President Trump.' And I said, 'You know what, I think God saved us when He saved President Trump.'"
Lake, who defeated Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, will be up against Democratic U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego in the race to replace Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who will not run for reelection. Gallego, a former Marine, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Lake won the primary with 53.4 percent of the vote over Lamb's 40.6 percent with 67 percent of the vote counted, according to The Associated Press.
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The former television host turned Republican politician said that Trump will need backup in Washington, D.C., and she will be that support. "He can't do it alone. It's not about one man; it really isn't," Lake said, as the crowd started chanting her name.
Newsweek contacted Lake's campaign team and Gallego's team for comment by email on Wednesday morning, outside of working hours.
"In the 554 days since we launched this campaign, Arizonans in every corner of the state have made clear that they want a U.S. Senator who can bring people together to defend abortion rights, cut costs for families, protect our water future, and take care of our veterans—and that's exactly what I intend to do," Gallego said after Lake's victory in a written statement shared with Newsweek.
"From now until November, I welcome all Arizonans—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike—to join our team and help defeat Kari Lake and her dangerous plan to ban abortion and hurt Arizonans."
In a post on social media where she shared her victory speech, Lake acknowledged the differences within the GOP and between Republicans and Democrats, but said they all want the same things—a safe border, good education, safe neighborhood.
"If you think this is a battle between Democrats and Republicans, you're still sleeping. This is not a battle between Democrats and Republicans; that means you've been listening to the fake news too long," Lake said. She attacked the mainstream media for the second time in her speech, seeming to seek broader support among those still skeptical of her role in the party.
"This is a battle between good and evil. This is a battle between the people who want to destroy this country and the people who want to Save America," Lake added, calling for the implementation of America-first policies.
A poll by Noble Predictive Insight (NPI) on Arizona's GOP Senate primary found Lake was struggling to get the support of younger voters (42 percent of which support her, against 53 percent who backed Lamb); party-first GOP voters (38 percent to 49 percent); voters in rural counties (44 percent to 49 percent); and independents (32 percent to 37 percent). Her favorability was higher among Trump supporters.
Lake has been trying to win back the support of mainstream Republicans who backed away from her after she led a divisive primary campaign for the role of governor in 2022. She then said she had won the election over Democrat Katie Hobbs, despite a lack of evidence. A series of lawsuits launched by her legal team proved unsuccessful, and Lake eventually dropped her claims to run for the Senate instead.
Update, 7/31/24 3:50 a.m. ET: This breaking news article was updated to include more details on the story.
Update, 7/31/24 9:05 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a comment from Ruben Gallego.
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