On Tuesday, Lake – a former Phoenix television anchor – won on a hard-fought Republican primary, setting up what promises to be a heated race against Democratic Congressman Reuben Gallego for the open seat being vacated by Senator Kyrsten Sinema. Lake defeated Pima County Sheriff Mark Lamb for the GOP nomination.
A strong ally of former President Donald Trump, Lake is convinced significant voter fraud took place in Arizona – both in the 2020 presidential race and in her unsuccessful gubernatorial race in 2022. Jeff Zink, an attorney who helped Lake in her election cases, is confident she can win the Senate seat.
"In fact, it would be [by a] a three-to-one ratio. That's how bad she would win," he tells AFN. "… I was able to work on Kari Lake's legal team in both of her trials, and we worked on the evidence and showed very clearly that Kari did win the governorship because she's so loved. She is … the same as Donald Trump: very straightforward, tells you what's happening."
Lake was criticized by liberals for arguing voter fraud determined the result of those races in 2020 and 2022. Zink suggests the race this fall depends on whether the people believe her or not.
"But what's funny is that all of these supposedly conspiracy theories are now becoming true and everything is being proven," says the attorney. "So, Kari can actually carry this state. She will be able to beat Ruben Gallego head on. The only way that she would lose would be [if] exactly what happened in 2022 and in 2020 [happens again]."
The race for Sinema's Senate seat could be crucial to deciding Senate control. In the RealClearPolitics average of polls (all taken before the GOP primary), Gallego currently holds a 3.4-point advantage over Lake.
Editor's note: Jeff Zink is running for the U.S. House, hoping to represent Arizona's 3rd congressional district – the seat being vacated by Rep. Reuben Gallego (D). He advanced from the Republican primary on July 30, 2024.
