James Myers of OAN
Thursday, June 27, 2024 2:29 PM
The day before the presidential debate, Republican Senate candidate Kali Lake skipped her own primary debate.
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Instead, Lake attended a town hall meeting in Tucson, Arizona, where he met with supporters and encouraged independents and Democrats to participate in a public question-and-answer event.
Lake’s campaign positioned the event as a rally for all three parties ahead of a general election that will play a major role in determining which party will control the Senate.
“We’re definitely going to vote, and we need to vote in July, even though I have a 31-point lead over my opponent,” Lake said, referring to Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb.
But Lamb said during a scheduled debate that “my being here should let the people of Arizona know that I want this job and that it’s important enough for me to come here and give Arizonans the respect they deserve,” and that “if you don’t come to a job interview, you don’t know which companies are going to hire you.”
Lake is primarily focused on a likely showdown with Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-N.Y., for the seat being vacated by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat-turned-independent. Lake has denounced Sinema as a “swamp rat” and a “lazy idiot” and on Wednesday called her a “bearded Nancy Pelosi.”
Moreover, Lake has long been averse to debating Lamb. At a March 15 press conference in Phoenix, he said:NumberAsked if she was up to the challenge, Lake said, “I’m focused on the general election,” she replied.
“This is an expensive race. There will be between $200 million and $250 million poured into this race. And you need someone who is capable of running this race. So I’m keeping my eye on my competitor. And that person is a guy named Reuben,” Lake told reporters gathered outside the Arizona Capitol.
“He’s a total coward when it comes to election integrity,” Lake of Lamb said of his refusal to reject the results of the 2020 election, in which Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in Arizona and across the nation.
“I don’t believe Joe Biden won 81 million votes,” Lamb said at the forum, “but I don’t live in a world of emotions or thoughts. I live in a world of evidence, something that can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
Meanwhile, Lake drew criticism from other law enforcement agencies last month when he called Lamb a “total coward” on election integrity issues during an online forum with him.
“There aren’t many people who have the ability to fight. I’ve taken every hit I’ve had fighting for election security,” Lake said. “The sheriff has the ability to fight, but the Pinal County sheriff was scared. He’s a total coward when it comes to election integrity.”
Lake was referring to testimony Lamb gave to Congress in February 2023, which included a question about whether there was “misconduct that materially affected the 2020 election.”
In response to the question, Lamb said he had “not seen any” evidence of that, before explaining that he could only speak about the county he serves.
Lake’s comments prompted nine of Arizona’s 14 other sheriffs to condemn her comments, calling them “baseless and disrespectful.”
Additionally, Lamb on Wednesday called Trump’s prosecution a “legal war.”
The primary election will take place on July 30th.Number.
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