Topline
Former President Donald Trump is considering defeated Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake as a potential running mate in the 2024 presidential election, Axios reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with his thinking, while Lake continues to claim she was the true winner of the midterm election.
Bonfire of the vanities 2.0: Former U.S. President Donald Trump embraces former Arizona Republican … [+] gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake during a campaign rally at Legacy Sports USA on October 9, 2022, in Mesa, Arizona.
Key Facts
Trump reportedly wants a female running mate in hopes of winning back the suburban women who moved away from him in 2020, when more voters in large suburban areas cast their ballots for Democrats for the first time since 2008, according to research from the Brookings Institution.
Lake—who was endorsed by Trump in her midterm race and has been a prominent promoter of his false claim that he won the 2020 presidential election—is among four female candidates that fit Trump’s mold for a vice presidential candidate, according to Trump confidants cited by Axios.
Other possible Republican picks include his former White House press secretary, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who launched a bid for the 2024 GOP nomination in February.
Contra
The people familiar with Trump’s thinking told Axios that Lake’s potential to outshine Trump, along with her loss in the midterm election, are pitfalls. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung firmly disputed any speculation surrounding the former president’s thinking, telling the outlet that “anyone who thinks they know what President Trump is going to do is seriously misinformed and trying to curry favor with ‘potential’ vice presidential candidates,” and warning that “those who are playing the media game are doing so at their own peril.”
Big Number
20%. That’s the share of attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference over the weekend who said they preferred Lake as Trump’s vice presidential pick over 27 other potential candidates. In response to the poll, Lake’s campaign suggested that she is still focused on her pursuit to be installed as Arizona governor. “We’re flattered, but unfortunately our legal team says the Constitution won’t allow for her to serve as Governor and VP at the same time,” her campaign account tweeted.
Key Background
Lake, a former local Fox News TV anchor in Phoenix, lost the midterm election by 17,117 votes to Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in November and is pursuing a lawsuit claiming that election malfeasance led to her defeat. An appeals court in February rejected the suit, siding with a lower court, and Lake has since taken her appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court. Trump has defended Lake as the true winner of the election. He claimed in November on Truth Social that she lost due to a “criminal voting operation” and demanded that she be installed as governor.
Further Reading
Kari Lake Can Argue Her Claims Of Election Malfeasance In Court, Judge Says (Forbes)
Read More
Donald Trump and Kelli Ward, the former Arizona Republican Party chairwoman, are rumored to be considering a joint presidential bid in 2024, according to multiple reports.
Despite speculation swirling around a possible Trump-Ward ticket in 2024, Ward insists that she is focused on her failed bid to wrest Arizona’s U.S. Senate seat away from Democrat Mark Kelly.
In a statement to Phoenix’s KTVK-TV, Ward said she was “honored” to be mentioned as a potential running mate for the former president, but maintained that her “focus and energies are on fighting for Arizona’s future,” and that she has not been approached about joining the Republican ticket in 2024.
If a Trump-Ward ticket were to become a reality, she likely faces an uphill battle. A firm Ward supporter during her senatorial election, President Trump could face potential backlash for choosing Ward over his own former staff members and close advisers as his running mate, such as Vice President Mike Pence or Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.
Ward, for her part, has remained a strong advocate for her state, leading the fight in the Arizona Republican Party’s battle to assert former President Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. She has also long pushed for further restrictions on immigration and tighter voting laws.
Whether or not Trump deems Ward a worthy running mate, it’s clear the Arizona politician has her sights set on becoming a major player in her party, no matter the 2024 outcome.
