Arizona Republican Kari Lake launches 2024 senate campaign

Arizona Republican Kari Lake, who lost her bid to be the state's governor in 2022 and is loyal supporter of former President Donald Trump, announced she is running to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate.

A​t an event in her home state Tuesday evening, she told a crowd of supporters that she intends to be Arizona's next senator.

Lake will join the race for the seat currently held by incumbent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who switched from Democrat to Independent after the midterms. Sinema has not formally announced a reelection campaign.

Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego and Republican Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb have already announced their bids.

Lake, who was endorsed by Trump in 2022, has denied the results of the 2020 presidential election and contested her own loss to the current governor, Katie Hobbs. Lake also faces a defamation lawsuit on behalf of Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who she has accused of distorting the results of her gubernatorial run.

Separately, Lake has sued to review ballot envelopes and signatures of more than 1 million voters.

Arizona was long thought to be a Republican stronghold but in 2020, President Biden carried the state, helping him secure a win. Sinema was first elected in 2018, succeeding former GOP Sen. Jeff Flake who retired.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.