Kari Lake, a Republican Senate candidate in Arizona, says she won’t run for office again after two major election losses. Lake lost the 2022 race for governor against Democrat Katie Hobbs and recently lost her Senate race to Representative Ruben Gallego.
“There’s a corrupt machine here that is hellbent on making sure I never hold office,” Lake wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday. “So, I won’t put my family (and myself) through the torture of running again.”
Gallego, who represented a Phoenix district in Congress for nearly ten years, defeated Lake with 50.1% of the vote compared to her 47.7%, according to polling data from The Hill and Decision Desk HQ.
Lake entered the Senate race in October 2023, aiming for the seat held by Senator Kyrsten Sinema. She was considered the Republican frontrunner and had strong support from former President Donald Trump, who endorsed her. Despite her early momentum, her campaign ended in another defeat.
During her Senate run, Lake told supporters she was ready to fight hard for her beliefs. “I’m tired of politicians who back down from important battles. They’re cowards,” she said. “We’re on the last hill, and I’m not giving up.”
Lake has also made headlines recently for being nominated by Trump to lead Voice of America (VOA), a U.S. government-funded international broadcaster. Critics worry her past comments about voter fraud and attacks on the media might harm VOA’s reputation for unbiased reporting.
In her post on Saturday, Lake promised to support Trump and improve VOA. “I will go to Washington, D.C., restore VOA’s former greatness, and help President Trump Make America Great Again,” she wrote.
