In a heated Arizona Senate debate on Wednesday, Kari Lake faced relentless questioning from Democratic challenger Ruben Gallego about her refusal to acknowledge her loss in the 2022 gubernatorial election. When pressed to clarify whether she won or lost, the Republican squirmed out of answering in a way that caught social media’s attention.
Lake has vigorously rejected the legitimacy of both Donald Trump’s defeat in 2020 and her own loss to Katie Hobbs in 2022. Now, she’s vying against Gallego for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by independent Kyrsten Sinema.
During the debate, Gallego didn’t hold back, accusing Lake of dodging responsibility not only for her election denial but also for failing to address critical climate issues.
“She’s in denial about climate change. But we should not be surprised,” he stated. “She’s still in denial about the 2022 election and now I give you one minute, you have one minute. Will you finally tell the people of Arizona: Did you win or lose that election?”
Instead of answering, Lake deflected, asking the moderator, “Can I talk about water really quickly?” This pivot left many viewers incredulous and fueled a wave of backlash on social media.
Reactions poured in, with users blasting Lake for sidestepping the question. Comments ranged from, “Gallego’s putting her on blast, and honestly, it’s about time!” to harsh critiques of her credibility: “Such a big fat liar, Kari Lake,” and “Good God, she’s horrible.”
Watch the clip below:
Gallego: She is in denial about the 2022 election. I’ll give you one minute. Will you finally tell the people of Arizona did you win or lose that election? pic.twitter.com/KZOi5GSJbM
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 10, 2024
