Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake announced an event featuring current and former Democrats supporting her campaign, scheduled for Thursday. This event, titled “Democrats/former Democrats for Kari Lake & America First,” is a direct response to similar events organized for Vice President Kamala Harris and her opponent, Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.
Lake’s announcement comes after Harris’ campaign launched its “Republicans for Harris” initiative, which held a press conference in Mesa, Arizona. Additionally, Gallego announced his own coalition, “Republicans and Independents for Ruben.”
Lake took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to call on the press to give her event equal coverage to the events for Harris and Gallego. “Hello Media— We see how you have given Kamala and her favorite liberal congressman Ruben Gallego so much news coverage of their ‘Republicans’ for Kamala/Ruben/America Last press conferences,” Lake wrote. “We ask that you give us equal coverage of our event coming Thursday. It’s called Democrats/former Democrats for Kari Lake & America First,” she continued. “Clear your schedule and we’ll let you know the time/place to meet us. I promise this will be eye-opening.”
Gallego’s coalition, announced on Sunday, includes endorsements from 40 Republicans and independents, aiming to demonstrate his appeal across the aisle. The Arizona Republic reported that at least 10 of these supporters have also endorsed Harris for president.
The “Republicans for Harris” initiative, featuring several former Trump White House officials, is part of Harris’ campaign strategy to rebrand her more moderately ahead of the November presidential election against former President Trump.
Lake and Gallego will face off in the general election in November for Arizona’s open Senate seat, currently held by outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. The race is considered “Lean Democratic” by the Cook Political Report. These events highlight the increasingly competitive political landscape in Arizona and the efforts of each candidate to broaden their appeal.
