This is what makes Kari Lake “dangerous” to the national political establishment. She won’t shut up when she’s supposed to and she’s not afraid to rub the media’s nose in its own filth.
For months now, whenever reporters write about Lake, the Republican nominee for Governor of Arizona, they attach the term “election denier” in some way to her name. So far, the smear hasn’t amounted to much. The claim, of course, is that since Lake questioned the veracity of the voting procedures surrounding the 2020 presidential election, she’s “denying” the election.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to spend 5 minutes on google pulling up quote after quote of “election denier” Democrats claiming “stolen elections” and straight-up saying Donald Trump was installed by Vladimir Putin.
On Tuesday, Lake appeared before cameras, with “receipts” in hand, of 150 examples of Democrat election deniers starring people like Hillary Clinton and Biden’s own press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre:
A master of the camera and the press conference, Lake has managed to make her case with sharp points but gentle elbows along the way. She does not kowtow to the press, she manages and uses them to her advantage, sort of like the way Donald Trump did in 2016.
Here’s the full transcript to pick apart further from RealClearPolitics:
KARI LAKE: Let’s talk about election deniers. Here’s 150 examples of Democrats denying election results. Look at this, this is from Joe Biden’s Press Secretary ‘remember Brian Kemp stole the gubernatorial election from Georgians and Stacey Abrams.’ A Democrat was saying that, is that an election denier? Oh look at this, ‘just heard Republican Ryan Costello said it would be difficult for Stacey Abrams to win because she lost her state bid, but she’s still claiming she never lost.’ Hillary Clinton: ‘Trump is an illegitimate President,’ is she an election denier? This on says ‘was the 2016 election legitimate? It is definitely a question worth asking.’ That was the Los Angeles Times. So it’s okay for Democrats to question elections but it’s not okay for Republicans? It’s crock of BS, everyone knows it, we have our freedom of speech and we’re not going relinquish it to a bunch of fake news propagandists. If you want a copy of these I’m sure Anthony will help you get a copy and help you learn how to journalist but look it up. It has been happening for a long time.
Since 2000, people have questioned the legitimacy of our elections. And all we are asking is in the future we do not have to have that anymore. When I’m governor we are going to make sure we have honest elections. We want the Democrats, the Independents, and the Republicans to all know that their vote counted. We want fair, honest, and transparent elections and we are going to deliver that for the people. Hillary Clinton says ‘George W. Bush was selected president not elected.’ So if you are going to start throwing around terms like election denier, lets remember who the other election deniers were Hillary Clinton and all the Democrats.
Her point, that Americans should not have to question election results due to unlawful rule changes or lax enforcement of laws designed to prevent fraud, is the real goal of everyone wanting free and fair elections. Laws like requiring photo identification to vote have widespread support among both parties, yet lawmakers in most Democratic-led states wouldn’t touch it because they might lose votes or make it harder to commit fraud.
Lake is winning on the issues that her attackers view as her weaknesses by taking them on directly. The “election denier” label is so absurd since a simple search brings you countless examples where Democrats spent years harping on Donald Trump’s 2016 victory as “literally stolen,” in the words of Hillary Clinton. For some prime examples, see the Democratic Party “Election Denier” video that runs the full range of Democratic election denialism.
Lake’s handling of the press is also the prime example of why her Democratic opponent, Katie Hobbs, has chosen not to stand on the debate stage with her. Lake is sharp and polished, a veteran of playing to the camera as a former local news anchor. Hobbs’ background is in government and she’s not as quick on her feet or polished in that format.
The Arizona governor’s race is considered a “toss up” but Lake has been consistently leading according to most polls by anywhere from 1 to 3 points. If Lake continues on her power play tour beating up on the press and setting fire to her biggest detractors, it won’t even be that close.
