Kari Lake sets new fundraising record at Mar-a-Lago event

Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake raised an eye-popping sum at a fundraiser hosted at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, padding her war chest as she prepares for one of the most competitive Senate races of the 2024 election.

Lake brought in $1 million at the Tuesday event, the most money raised by a nonincumbent at the Florida resort, a source familiar with the fundraiser told the Washington Examiner. The haul, easily surpassing the previous record of $350,000 raised by Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno earlier this year, gives Lake a boost as she heads into the second fundraising quarter, which began on Monday.

The fundraising event was at full capacity on Tuesday evening, according to multiple people who attended. Trump was also in attendance and has previously endorsed Lake’s candidacy.

The Senate race in Arizona could be one of Republicans’ best opportunities to seize control of the upper chamber next year. The race became more fierce after Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) announced she would not run for reelection, solidifying the race as a head-to-head contest between Lake and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ).

Polling shows a tight contest between the two, but the most recent surveys indicate Gallego has an edge over Lake in the critical swing state. Gallego leads Lake by 8 percentage points, 36% to 28%, according to a recent poll by RABA Research. That poll was conducted during the last week of March.

Despite trailing in the most recent surveys, Lake’s allies have pointed to Trump’s polling in Arizona against President Joe Biden as a good sign for her campaign. Lake has closely aligned herself with the former president, who leads President Joe Biden 39% to 36%, according to RABA Research.

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There are 34 Senate seats up for grabs in the 2024 election cycle. Of these, Democrats must defend 23, compared to just 11 for Republicans — and nearly all competitive seats are held by Democrats, putting them on the defensive as they try to maintain their slim majority.

Democrats hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, with the advantage of having Vice President Kamala Harris as a tiebreaker vote if needed. As a result, Republicans only need to flip one Senate seat to win the majority should they win back the White House in 2024. If they don’t regain the Oval Office, they need to secure two extra Senate seats.