Kari Lake

Kari Lake has won her senate primary in Arizona, a potential indicator that Americans are ready for more conservative leadership heading into November. Lake joined other MAGA Republican candidates who succeeded in the Copper State primary, including Senator Wendy Rogers and former State Representative Mark Finchem, in seemingly the first bellwether balloting of 2024.

The former President also offered a rare dueling endorsement for Abe Hamedeh and Blake Masters, who faced off for the state's 8th district congressional nomination, with Hamedeh ultimately eking out a victory. Lake will undoubtedly be one of the most outspoken candidates in favor of Trump during the dwindling days to November, as she became a national name for her dogged defense of the former President following the 2020 election.

Born in Illinois but raised in Iowa, Lake is one of nine children. She began interning in television news while attending the University of Iowa and continued to pursue media for much of her career. Following decades on air, Lake became increasingly involved in politics, partly inspired by Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns.

After serving as the anchor for a popular Pheonix newscast for more than 20 years, Lake left entertainment and sought the Governorship of Arizona, dedicating herself to the public sector. Despite winning her gubernatorial primary in 2020, Lake narrowly lost the seat to then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs by less than 1%. The campaign proved Lake to be one of former President Donald Trump's biggest supporters, as she vehemently defended his victory over Biden.

Lake will now face off against Representative Ruben Gallego, a former Marine, for the seat currently held by Democrat-turned-Independent Kyrsten Sinema. Sinema enraged the rank-and-file DNC when she switched her party affiliation in 2022. However, she continued to caucus with Senate Democrats and retained her committee assignments, allowing a continued majority. She announced her plan to retire from Congress last Spring, leaving the district up for grabs.

With Senate control heavily in play for 2024, each seat is now critical, and the legislature's makeup could entirely alter the nature of the coming administration. A bicameral majority is necessary if Trump is to make good on his robust campaign promises. If the Harris/Whoever team manages to take the White House, their executive branch nonsense can be significantly quelled by a GOP Congress. While Democrats technically hold a current majority in the Senate, they do so by claiming three independent members, including the newly retired Sinema. Thirty-four seats in the Upper Chamber appear on the ballot this November, including 23 Democrats of Independents. Republicans need either a net gain of two seats or one combined with the Presidency to tip the scales of control.

How do you feel about Kari Lake winning her nomination primary? What does this say about the remainder of the election?

Hilary Gunn is a Connecticut native with a degree in Criminal Justice from the George Washington University. She works for a nonprofit and has previously collaborated with the CT GOP as an activist, political campaign manager and field director, and social media organizer. She is currently serving in her fourth term of municipal office and has previously acted as a delegate on the Republican Town Committee.