Experience:
Born in Illinois and
grew up in Iowa.
Lake worked as an anchor for KSAZ-TV (Fox 10
Phoenix) from 1994 to early 2021 and for other
anchor, weather and reporter roles for locations in
Illinois and New York.) Probable fav. song: Don
Henley "Dirty
Laundry".
"Someone or a group
of some ones are
paying Arizona state
Rep. Jake Hoffman
more than $2 million
to help make Kari
Lake the Republican
nominee for
governor. But it is
not clear who is
doing so. And
campaign finance
records filed last
week only deepen the
mystery. Hoffman,
through his company
1Ten, has produced
$1 million worth of
political propaganda
promoting ,
according to
campaign finance
records. His company
has also produced
$1.1 million worth
of materials
advocating the
defeat of her main
rival. Both types of
ads were ordered by
a political action
committee, Put
Arizona First, which
claims as its only
donor a medical
company whose owner
denies making the
contribution."
Jul. 19, 2022
Center
for
Arizona
Policy
2022 Survey
Questions For
Arizona Candidates
Position Sought:
Governor
Question 2: Adding “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” or “gender expression” to the protected classes of race, religion, age, sex, and ancestry in nondiscrimination law.
Candidates'
Position:
Oppose.
Question 4: Allowing biological males that identify as transgender to play on female sports’ teams.
Candidates'
Position: Oppose
Question 8: Allowing parents to seek professional counseling for their minor child with same-sex attraction or gender identity issues.*
Candidates'
Position: Support
Question 9:
Protecting individuals and
businesses from being required
to provide services or use their
artistic expression in a manner
that violates their moral or
religious beliefs.**
Candidates' Position:
Support.
*
This is in reference to the
dangerous and disproven
"Reparative Therapy".
"One of the Phoenix
area's best-known
drag queens is
calling his former
friend — Republican
candidate for
governor Kari Lake —
a hypocrite after
Lake weighed in on
drag performances,
the latest front
in the conservative
culture war.
Richard Stevens, who
has performed for 25
years as Barbra
Seville, said he was
disappointed and
decided to speak out
after Lake tweeted
Friday that "they
kicked God out of
schools and welcomed
the Drag Queens.
They took down our
Flag and replaced it
with a rainbow."
Stevens shared
pictures and texts
from Lake in several
social media posts
and said Lake had
attended countless
shows and private
events over the
decades of their
friendship. He said
he had performed as
Marilyn Monroe in
front of Lake's
daughter when she
was 9 or 10 years
old.
"She's picked a side
in the culture war,
but her actions in
the past don't
support it," Stevens
said in an
interview. "Of
course my feelings
are hurt, but it
just proves that she
is a hypocrite. ...
She's thrown away my
friendship with her
to get votes from
people that would
rather hate gays or
hate drag queens."
Stevens is one more
critic to say Lake
is new to such
conservative
beliefs, accusations
that have dogged
Lake's year-old
campaign and offered
opportunity for her
opponents to attack.
Lake is running a
Donald
Trump-inspired
campaign to replace
Republican Gov. Doug
Ducey and has
used false claims
the 2020 election
was stolen as a
signature talking
point."
Republican candidate
for governor Kari Lake at a recent campaign
event seemed to make her case for holding
the state’s highest elected office by
pushing her bona fides as both a witch
doctor and a witch hunter. And proving in
the process that she’s as incompetent at
those two occupations as she would be as
governor.
"Trump-endorsed Kari
Lake is still running in the GOP primary for
Arizona governor, and she’s still coup-coup
for the Big Lie. She doesn’t even consider
Joe Biden the real president of the real
United States. That’s why she calls
President Biden and Vice President Kamala
Harris by their first names, like they’re
the help. She tweeted the other day, “Joe
and Kamala are driving the country into the
ground. I am running for governor to keep
them from taking Arizona with them.”
She’s not just rude, though. She’s also
openly seditionist. She declared that as
governor, she’d close her eyes and ignore
everything Fake President Biden said. [...]
Lake has already said she wouldn’t have
certified Biden’s victory in Arizona.
Outgoing GOP Governor Doug Ducey did because
he’s apparently a RINO who obeys the law.
Lake still thinks Arizona was stolen from
Trump, but don’t waste your time waiting for
evidence to support those wild accusations.
Lake doesn’t need proof when she has
instinct."
"Kari Lake, a
gubernatorial candidate for Arizona backed
by former President Donald Trump, said on
Monday that she would fine airlines $1,000
for each time they enforce mask mandates on
passengers while in Arizona airspace."
Apr. 12, 2022
Photo: Politifact
"Kari Lake, a TV
journalist turned
Republican candidate
for Arizona
governor, is running
with Donald Trump’s
endorsement on a
platform of
rehashing falsehoods
about the 2020
presidential
election. Lake
disputes that
President Joe Biden
received 81 million
votes even though
the results were
certified and
accepted by
Congress. Lake has
spoken favorably of
"decertification" of
the vote in Arizona,
a process that does
not exist. She
predicted a review
of ballots in
Maricopa County
would show Trump as
"the real winner of
Arizona," but that
review, orchestrated
by state Senate
Republicans,
confirmed the
official results
that Biden won.
Falsehoods about the
2020 presidential
election culminated
in the Jan. 6, 2021,
violent attack on
the U.S. Capitol.
Lake downplayed the
cases of the
defendants in an
interview with 60
Minutes Australia.
Lake was asked if
she thinks the
defendants should be
pardoned, an idea
floated by Trump.
Lake said she would
have no say in that
as a candidate for
governor, then
added, "What I don’t
like is that people
are being held in
prison without being
charged. That’s
un-American." "
"We contacted Lake’s
campaign to ask for
her evidence and did
not get a response.
So has the
government
imprisoned people
associated with Jan.
6 without showing
any evidence of
alleged crimes?No.
Court records show
charges filed
against hundreds of
people who assaulted
or resisted police
and disrupted
Congress in an
effort to overturn
the election results
in favor of Donald
Trump."
"When CBS 5/3TV's
Dennis Welch in June asked Kari Lake about
her donations to then-presidential
candidates John Kerry in 2004 and Barack
Obama in 2008, her response was to trash the
reporter. [. . .] When 12News’ Brahm Resnik
asked Lake, during her August mask protest
at ASU, what should be done about a surging
pandemic, her response was to trash the
reporter. [. . .] Are you catching on,
Arizona? Let’s just briefly revisit Lake’s
disaster of a Down Under interview, which on
Sunday evening."
"Kari Lake, the
longtime Phoenix-area news anchor turned
Trump-backed candidate for Arizona governor,
has been campaigning with a man who pleaded
guilting to trying to hire a hitman to kill
an FBI informant. Lake, who is no stranger
to controversy, has previously been
documented campaigning with QAnon followers
and Nazi sympathizers. Salon documented
Lake’s latest campaign scandal, noting that
her campaign even paid the convicted felon,
Kenneth Ulibarri, $2,000, according to
recent filings. Igor Derysh reported that
“Ulibarri, a repeat violent offender who
pleaded guilty after the DOJ accused him of
trying to hire a hitman to kill an FBI
informant and an unrelated state charge of
battery on a peace officer, spoke at Lake’s
“Stand for Freedom” rally in Scottsdale last
July.”"
"Kari Lake, a
Trump-endorsed candidate for Arizona
governor, has been an aggressive promoter of
lies about the 2020 election. Earlier this
month, she joined Trump's spokeswoman in
promoting another dishonest claim -- about
Wisconsin."
"12 News swiftly
handed down a response. They had not, in
fact, censored Lake's ad — she had just been
confused about the time range in which the
ad could air. "Lake's media buying company,
Strategic Media Placement, Inc., placed one
commercial spot on 12 News for the week of
Feb. 21-27. The order indicates the singular
spot could air Monday or Tuesday evening
during the 10 p.m. news," wrote the station.
"The purchase was made with 12 News on
Friday, Feb. 18." Lake's candidacy for
governor of Arizona has been fraught with
controversy from the start. She has
endlessly promoted Donald Trump's "Big Lie"
that the 2020 election was stolen, even
calling for the arrest of her most prominent
Democratic opponent, current Arizona
Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. She has also
campaigned with a number of fringe figures,
including Ethan Schmidt-Crockett, an
outspoken Nazi sympathizer who terrorized a
wig shop for cancer patients over their
COVID masking policy, and Ron Watkins, who
has been accused by some cyber experts of
being the mysterious "Q" behind the QAnon
conspiracy theory movement"
"On Feb. 4, Lake
shared video on Twitter of comments she made
on right-wing journalist Tim Pool's "Timcast"
podcast on Dec. 3 and tweeted, "The Feds
have ABANDONED us. When I'm Governor, we'll
finish the wall ourselves in defiance of
them. " [...] "what's Joe Biden going to do?
Arrest a sitting governor?""
"Kari
Lake, a former
TV anchor who's
running for
governor, began her
speech with the
theme of some of the
other speakers,
praising America
under Trump and
listing its problems
under Biden. As did
others, she called
Trump “president”
and slammed the 2020
election as “rotten
to the core.”"
[...]
"We are so blessed
to have Donald Trump
with us here today.
We know the election
was stolen,” state
Sen. Wendy Rogers,
R-Flagstaff, said
when she took the
stage, echoing the
sentiments of other
speakers and crowd
members, who cheered
her in response."
"“They attacked
Donald Trump because
he exposed them and
their evil deeds,”
said Finchem, who's
running for Arizona
secretary of state,
a position that
oversees state
elections."
[...]
"On Dec. 14, 2020,
Kern and 10 other
Arizonans, including
state GOP Chair
Kelli Ward and Rep.
Jake Hoffman,
R-Queen Creek,
signed a document
that was sent to
Congress. All 11
people were listed
on the general
election ballot as
the would-be
electors for Trump."
[...]
"Borrelli pushed
back on the fact
that the belief in
widespread election
fraud that stole the
presidency from
Trump in 2020 was a
“conspiracy theory.”
He said there was
indeed a conspiracy,
but he claims "it’s
not a theory.” He
said the problem was
“obstructionists”
who oversee
elections at the
Arizona Secretary of
State’s Office and
in Maricopa County.
Borrelli said that
many of his peers in
the Arizona House
and Senate were
behind him and other
election deniers and
that they were going
to “tighten up the
loopholes that these
commie (expletive)
have exploited.” The
crowd cheered as
Borrelli claimed
that the
“shamestream media”
were hiding facts
like “ghost voters”
he said were found
to have voted in
Pima County in 2020.
Pima County election
officials deny there
were any widespread
problems with the
election."
[...]
"Arizona Republican
U.S. Reps.
Debbie Lesko,
Andy Biggs and
Paul Gosar, the
latter two national
leaders in the
spread of falsehoods
over the 2020
election, also spoke
at the rally"
"Lake has never held
elected office before, but she’s quickly
risen in notoriety during this race. She’s
appeared with QAnon activists and Nazi
sympathizers. She has supported a secretary
of state candidate with ties to the QAnon
conspiracy theory movement. [...] Lake has
said that if she were elected governor she
would direct Arizona Attorney General Mark
Brnovich to open a wide-ranging criminal
investigation into the 2020 election where
he would “seize all election material, all
election equipment, and he should start
questioning people immediately.” She’s
described Trump as “pretty close to perfect”
[...] She says she’s a “MAGA conservative.”
Lake checks all the boxes of an
anti-vaccination alarmist. She’s bragged
about how she sought ways around vaccination
requirements when looking for a restaurant
to dine at in New York. She’s bragged that
she has not gotten a Covid vaccine, “and I
don’t plan on getting it.” She’s also
propagated the same arguments casting doubt
on the safety and efficacy of vaccines—a
position that actually puts her to Trump’s
right. “I’m not believing a lot of the
science, so-called science coming out of
some of our so-called experts,” Lake said in
mid-January."
"Oh, she has put out a
few ideas for what we can expect if she’s
governor, but they are more campaign slogans
than actual policy plans. She would “finish
the wall,” though she hasn’t explained how
she would pay for it (maybe she could bill
Mexico?). She would arrest “OSHA goons” as
soon as they set foot in Arizona, though she
hasn’t cited by what authority could place
them in handcuffs. Finally, a few weeks ago,
Lake offered an actual policy proposal. She
would install cameras in every public school
classroom so that parents would be able to
root out “woke” educators and their secret
plan to indoctrinate our children in leftie
ideas."
“Candidates generally
are either committed to evidence, or they
aren’t,” said Will Humble, director of the
Arizona Public Health Association, when
asked about Lake’s most recent comments.
“Kari Lake appears to be in camp two.”
"At a campaign event
in late August, Lake posed for a photo and
video with far-right personalities Ethan
Schmidt-Crockett, the founder of the
AntiMaskersClub, who harassed a store
specializing in wigs for cancer patients
this summer because it required customers to
wear masks, and Greyson Arnold, a Nazi
sympathizer who has a history of making
White nationalist, racist, antisemitic and
pro-Nazi statements, including once calling
Adolf Hitler "a complicated historical
figure which many people misunderstand.""
"An anti-mask mandate
rally Friday that will feature gubernatorial
candidate Kari Lake, staunchly anti-vax Sen.
Kelly Townsend, and various other high
profile, far-right politicians has settled
on an interesting venue: an elementary
school campus in Phoenix."
"Lake has baselessly
advocated the imprisonment of state
Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who is now
running for governor, over unspecified
election crimes; there is simply no sign
Hobbs broke the law. Lake has also pushed
for the imprisonment of unspecified
journalists she claims have told lies about
the election and other subjects."
"According to Vice, Watkins is
a longtime QAnon activist who started a website
about aliens. He was also a featured speaker at Mike
Lindell's Cyber Symposium. Many believe that Watkins
is the man behind the QAnon movement."
"Kari Lake, a former
news anchor who is now the Trump-endorsed
candidate for Arizona governor in 2022, told
One America News on Friday that she “would
not have certified” the votes had she been
governor at the time. She cited debunked
lies about “serious irregularities” that
were spread by the likes of Rudy Giuliani"
"Kari Lake, the former
Fox 10 Phoenix news anchor running as a
Republican for governor of Arizona, is
taking advantage of Twitter's inconsistency
with a string of irresponsible tweets that
have no business on Twitter or anywhere
else. It's the best of both worlds
for her. She can tweet Trump-like nonsense
to appease her followers."
"It's sad that a
candidate for Arizona governor chooses the
morning after an Arizona gymnast wins
Olympic gold to try to score cheap points
with Republican voters by dissing Olympic
athletes."
"Lake made her religious beliefs a theme in
both the resignation video as well as on her
new website, which outlines the duties of
Christians in their beliefs [...] Lake got
her name in the news more than a year ago
after she shared on Twitter a video where
two California doctors promoted lifting that
state’s shelter-in-place order, saying that
COVID-19 is similar to the flu and that
isolation actually may weaken the immune
system [...] She also sent out a Twitter
post in January saying the “First Amendment
is under attack’’ after Twitter and Facebook
first suspended Donald Trump’s accounts
after the platforms concluded that his
misinformation and lies inspired the Jan. 6
attack on the Capitol."
"Kari Lake went viral in 2019 for bashing Phoenix New Times to a
colleague while defending her affiliation with the far-right
Twitter clone Parler. Now, she's ventured even deeper into the
shady ecosystem of far-right social media, joining a social
media network known as Gab that's favored by neo-Nazis and QAnon
cultists."
"Lake, a news anchor for Phoenix TV station Fox 10, took to
Twitter to spotlight a recent viral video in which two
California doctors promote lifting the shelter-in-place order in
the state — doctors whose claims have been roundly criticized by
health care professionals [...] Citing a violation of its terms
of service, YouTube removed video"
"The Phoenix television anchor who once peddled a conspiracy
theory about #RedForEd has done it again, retweeting an
unverified claim of election fraud on Sunday from an anonymous
account to her 9,000 followers"
