McCain ally Lindsey Graham endorses Kari Lake for Arizona Senate bid – Washington Examiner
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has endorsed Kari Lake for the Arizona Senate race, a move aimed at strengthening her position among Republicans, particularly those aligned with the late Senator John McCain. Graham praised Lake for her conservative policies on critical issues like border control, the economy, and foreign policy. His endorsement emphasizes the need for Republican unity to combat the Democratic agenda, suggesting that Lake represents a reliable conservative vote.
Lake, who has previously alienated some GOP voters during her 2022 gubernatorial campaign, now seeks to mend relations with “McCain Republicans” and has been promoting a message of unity and diplomacy in her Senate bid. This effort is driven by her desire to recover support from centrist voters while navigating a complicated relationship with McCain’s family, particularly after their public disagreements.
Despite Graham’s support, Lake faces strong opposition from some of McCain’s family members, including his daughter, Meghan McCain, who has expressed clear disapproval of her campaign. The political dynamics are intense, compounded by Lake’s past comments that offended McCain supporters. With upcoming challenges, including a close race against Democratic candidate Rep. Ruben Gallego, Lake’s ability to unite the GOP and repair her image will be crucial for her campaign’s success.
John McCain ally Lindsey Graham endorses Kari Lake amid feud with late senator’s children
EXCLUSIVE — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is endorsing Kari Lake in the Arizona Senate race, giving a boost to the Republican candidate as she seeks to make amends with certain GOP voters whom she alienated in 2022 — particularly those close with the late Sen. John McCain.
Graham backed Lake on Thursday, touting her policy stances on issues such as the border, the economy, inflation, and foreign policy. The South Carolina senator also lauded Lake as a “reliable conservative vote” that would help to thwart Democrats’ agenda and “change course in this country.”
“Her opponent is one of the most radical members of the Democratic party who will double-down on Kamala Harris’s failed agenda,” Graham said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “I urge you to support Kari Lake to represent Arizona in the United States Senate as she will help President Trump turn this nation around, and give Republicans a senate majority we desperately need.”
The endorsement is key for Lake as McCain, who died in 2018 at 81 years old, was best friends with Graham when they worked together in the Senate, possibly helping her ease the divide with centrist voters.
Since launching her Senate bid, Lake has sought to win back Republican voters she angered during her gubernatorial run in 2022, particularly the so-called “McCain Republicans.” Two years ago, she said her candidacy “drove a stake through the heart of the McCain machine.”
That relationship further deteriorated when Lake told McCain supporters to “get the hell out” during a campaign event in 2022.
But now, Lake is seeking to mend those wounds, preaching diplomacy and unity in her new campaign.
“The first step in saving America is electing Republicans up and down the ballot and the first step in doing that is uniting the GOP,” Lake said in a statement. “I am honored to have Senator Graham’s endorsement and I look forward to working with him in D.C. to advance President Trump’s agenda in the Senate.”
But Graham’s endorsement may not be enough to convince all McCain supporters, especially as Lake navigates a feud with the late senator’s children.
Meghan McCain, John McCain’s daughter, has been vocal about her opposition to Lake’s Senate bid even as she attempts to clean up her past comments.
“Guess she realized she can’t become a Senator without us,” Meghan McCain wrote in a post on X in February. “No peace, b****. We see you for who you are – and are repulsed by it.”
That post led to a tense exchange between the two, as Lake sought to meet with Meghan McCain “to buy you a beer, a coffee or lunch and pick your brain about how we can work together to strengthen our state.”
“My team is sending you my contact info — if you’re willing to meet, it would mean a lot to me,” Lake wrote in a response post.
“NO PEACE, B****!” Meghan McCain shot back.
Graham’s endorsement comes after the late senator’s son, Jimmy McCain, changed his registration to Democratic and said he would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump. Lake has closely aligned herself with the Republican presidential nominee throughout her Senate bid.
John McCain often opposed Trump and even rescinded his support for his 2016 presidential campaign, resulting in a long-standing feud between the two while the former president was in office. Trump has taken personal jabs at McCain, including about his military service, resulting in backlash from several Republican lawmakers and McCain’s family members.
Polling shows a tight contest between the two, but the most recent surveys show the Democratic candidate, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), with a healthy lead over Lake in the swing state. Gallego leads Lake by 3 percentage points, 47% to 44%, according to a CNN poll published this week.
However, Lake’s allies have pointed to Trump’s polling in Arizona against Harris as a good sign for her campaign as her positions closely mirror those of the former president. He leads the vice president 49% to 44%, according to the same poll.
The race is expected to lean Democratic based on predictions from the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which is a shift from earlier this year that deemed the seat a toss-up.
Democrats control the Senate by one vote, with the advantage of Harris as a tiebreaker if necessary. Republicans only need to flip one Senate seat to win the majority should they win back the White House in 2024, but if they do not regain the Oval Office, they need to secure two extra Senate seats.
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