Former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is returning to Iowa this week with several planned stops around the Hawkeye State.
Lake is slated to be in Iowa City, Nevada, and Cedar Rapids, beginning Wednesday evening.
The three-day trip to her home state comes amid her continuing legal battles over an election marked by myriad voter irregularities. Lake narrowly lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs, who, as Arizona Secretary of State, presided over Arizona’s elections.
Lake, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, may have a few things to say about the unprecedented arrest Tuesday of the former president on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with 2016 hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. The case, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a highly partisan Democrat who campaigned on taking down Trump, has been criticized by Trump’s supporters as a politically motivated hit job against the leading Republican candidate for president.
Lake declared her unwavering support for the former president on Twitter.
“I stand with President Donald J. Trump,” Lake wrote Tuesday afternoon, next to a photo of Trump, fist held high, entering Trump Towers.
I stand with President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/hC4O4dWmoC
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) April 4, 2023
Trump, who endorsed the Arizona Republican, was said to be “strongly” considering Lake for his running mate, sources told left-leaning publication Axios last month.
Lake topped a straw poll at last month’s Conservative Political Action Conference, with 20 percent of the vote among 27 other contenders — including former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Haley is a declared candidate for the White House, and DeSantis is considered by many to be Trump’s top rival for the GOP presidential nomination.
Lake shrugged off the VP talk.
“I am 100% dedicated to serving as Arizona Governor. I will also work to make sure President Trump gets back in the White House ASAP,” she told DailyMail.com. “Anything outside of those two goals is nothing but a distraction.”
For now, Lake’s fight over what she has called a rigged gubernatorial election goes on. Last week, the Arizona Supreme Court accepted her argument that lower courts incorrectly rejected her lawsuits to challenge the results of November’s election. The court did rule against her in six other claims.
“Maricopa County has confirmed what we all knew to be true: Ballot signatures DO NOT MATCH. Election Officials brazenly HIDING EVIDENCE from us,” Lake tweeted.
Maricopa County has confirmed what we all knew to be true:
Ballot signatures DO NOT MATCH.
Election Officials brazenly HIDING EVIDENCE from us.
This is the smoking gun.
Unfortunately for them, I’m not giving up — even if that means legally forcing them to hand over evidence. https://t.co/feDWyYfhNS— Kari Lake (@KariLake) March 31, 2023
Lake grew up in Iowa. She’s heading back to the first-in-the-nation caucus state nearly two months after rallying in suburban Des Moines for Trump and candidates who put America and election integrity first. At that event, an unidentified man threatened to drive his jeep through the rally venue in Ankeny, according to a police report obtained by The Iowa Star.
The conservative crusader will be at The Airliner in Iowa City Wednesday evening. The event, hosted by the University of Iowa College Republicans & Johnson County GOP, begins at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
On Thursday, Lake is scheduled to appear at the 2023 Story County Iowa GOP Dinner, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Story County Fairgrounds Community Building in Nevada.
Lake will be in Cedar Rapids on Friday for a Good Friday Prayer Breakfast, starting at 6:30 a.m. at the Cedar Rapids Marriott. Actor and author Kevin Sorbo is the featured speaker.
Tickets are required for all events.
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M.D. Kittle is the National Political Editor for The Star News Network.
Photo “Kari Lake” by The Kari Lake. Background Photo “Iowa State Capitol” by formulanone. CC BY-SA 2.0.
