North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a rising Republican star who has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential running mate for former President Trump, has endorsed Republican candidate Kali Lake in Arizona’s Senate race.
In Trump’s words, Burgum A statement was issued Friday said he has Lake’s “full support.”
“Kari Lake is the conservative warrior we need to support to help President Trump Make America Great Again,” he wrote.
He joins a long list of pro-Trump Republicans who have voiced their support for Lake ahead of Arizona’s July 30 Republican primary.
The governor, a wealthy businessman and investor, has remained politically popular in North Dakota since taking office in 2016. Still, his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination failed to garner support before Trump became the party’s presumptive nominee.
Burgum, 67, was one of several Trump aides who attended the former president’s criminal trial in New York earlier this month and said a conviction in the hush-money case would be a “travesty of justice.”
Lake, a former TV host who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor in 2022, is an ardent supporter of Trump. But recent reports suggest the former president has concerns about Lake’s campaign and the possibility that he could be a hindrance to the Republican candidate.
Citing an anonymous source, The Washington Post reported last month“At one point last year, after months of complaining, [Lake] Lake was a frequent visitor to the Mar-a-Lago club, and Trump gently suggested Lake leave the club and campaign in Arizona.”
Despite these concerns, she has remained close to the former president and is a key figure in the MAGA movement, which was born from Trump’s famous motto, “Make America Great Again.”
Trump has supported Lake since his campaign began in October and even mentioned him as an early contender for vice presidential nomination.
Burgum’s growing support comes as Lake tries to defend his lead over Republican primary rival Mark Lamb. About 46% of Arizona Republicans surveyed said they supported Lake, while about 21% supported Lamb, the Pinal County sheriff, according to a Noble Predictive Insights poll released Thursday. A similar poll in February had Lake with 54%.
The winner of the Republican primary will face off against Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego in the November general election. Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is not seeking reelection, leaving the seat open.
Lake declined an invitation to debate Lamb.
“Frankly, I’m not going to feud with Mark Lamb,” Lake said. During a local TV interview“I’m focused on who my opponent is, and that’s Ruben Gallego.”
Lake is trailing Gallego by eight points, with 35.8% of the vote, while the Arizona senator has 46.5%, according to The Hill/Decision Desk Polling Index.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
