Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) has announced his endorsement of Arizona Republican Kari Lake in her bid for the Senate, calling her “fearless” and a “principled conservative.”
“I’m honored to endorse my friend Kari Lake to be Arizona’s next U.S. Senator. Kari is a strong, principled conservative, who knows and loves the people of Arizona and will make them proud as their elected representative,” Mr. Hagerty said in a statement.
Ms. Lake, who kicked off her campaign in October with a firm endorsement from former President Donald Trump, has been raking in support from prominent Republicans.
“Kari is fearless, she doesn’t back down, and she will fight tirelessly to secure our border and make our country safe and prosperous,” Mr. Hagerty said.
“The stakes could not be higher and it is now more important than ever that we retake the Republican majority and get our country back on the right track for all working American families and citizens,” he explained.
Mr. Hagerty, currently a junior senator in Tennessee, served as an economic adviser to President George H.W. Bush. He then began a career in private equity, and later served as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. He was appointed as the United States ambassador to Japan under President Trump.
In a statement, Ms. Lake expressed her gratitude to Hagerty for his support.
“I am thrilled to have the endorsement of a conservative force in the Senate, my friend Bill Hagerty,” Ms. Lake said. “He has been a strong voice for securing our border and advocating for America First policies. I look forward to working with him to put America back on track.”
Endorsements have been pouring in for Ms. Lake, who is running against Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in the Republican primary.
Last week, former Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy announced his endorsement in a video posted on X.
“The slogan of my campaign was ‘Truth’. Well, that means I’m gonna support people who are willing to speak hard truths that other Republicans aren’t. Kari Lake is one of those fearless Republicans,” he said, praising the former news anchor for standing up to politicized media, and for her stance on the Southern border.
“It’s a basic issue that I think is a non-partisan issue right now,” Mr. Ramaswamy said.
Ms. Lake has gained the endorsement of prominent Republicans from both the Senate and the House, who commended her for her fighting spirit and strong stance on the border.
These include House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), and Reps. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Burgess Owens (R-Utah), Cory Mills (R-Fla.), Senate Republican Conference Chair John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) for the Senate.
Whoever wins the Republican nomination will face likely Democrat candidate Ruben Gallego, currently an Arizona Representative, to fill Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s seat. Ms. Sinema left the Democrat Party in December 2022 and finished her term as an independent. Though she has not yet announced running for reelection, the Wall Street Journal has reported she has already filed the necessary paperwork.
According to an internal poll run by her campaign, Ms. Lake has a narrow two-point lead over her Democratic competitor, Mr. Gallego, at 46 to 44 percent. In a three-way race with Ms. Sinema included, Ms. Lake came out with a one-point lead at 40 percent, with 13 going to her independent and 39 to her Democrat opponent.
