Kari Lake, the Republican nominee for Arizona governor, has been making headlines for her controversial statements and policies. She is a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump and has promoted false claims of election fraud. She has also vowed to crack down on illegal immigration and oppose abortion rights. But who are the people behind Lake’s political views? In this article, we will explore the background and influence of her parents, Larry and Sheila Lake.
Early Life and Education
Kari Lake was born on August 23, 1969, in Rock Island, Illinois, to Larry A. Lake and Sheila A. Lake (née McGuire). She is the youngest of nine children, with seven sisters and one brother. Her father was a teacher and coach of football and basketball at North Scott Senior High School in Eldridge, Iowa, where Lake attended. Her mother was a nurse from Appleton, Wisconsin.
When Lake was seven years old, her parents divorced and her father won custody of her. She grew up in eastern Iowa with her father, who often brought her to his practices and games. She credits her father for instilling in her a strong work ethic and conservative values. She told Time magazine:
“Obviously, a mother’s really important in those first few years of a child’s life, in that nurturing phase, and then after that, I believe fathers are actually almost more important. When you have a strong father in your life as a girl, you don’t need somebody else to define you. Your father helped define you.”
Lake graduated from North Scott Senior High School in 1987 and then enrolled at the University of Iowa, where she studied journalism and communications. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1991.
Media Career and Political Shift
Lake began her media career as an intern at KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa, while still in college. She later became a production assistant and then moved to WHBF-TV in Rock Island as a reporter and weekend weathercaster. In 1994, she joined KPNX in Phoenix, Arizona, as a weekend anchor. She met her husband, Jeff Halperin, there and they married in 1998. They have two children together.
Lake worked briefly at WNYT in Albany, New York, before returning to Arizona in 1999 as an evening anchor for KSAZ-TV (Fox 10 Phoenix). She stayed there for 22 years, becoming one of the most popular and recognizable news personalities in the state. She interviewed Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump during her tenure.
However, Lake’s political views changed over time. She registered as a Republican before 2006, then switched to an independent in 2006, then to a Democrat in 2008, and then back to a Republican in 2012. She said she was disillusioned with the Democratic Party after Obama’s presidency and felt more aligned with Trump’s agenda.
Lake also became more critical of the media and accused it of spreading fear and division. She shared false and unverified information on social media, such as conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and vaccines. She also opposed the Red for Ed movement that advocated for more funding for education in Arizona.
In March 2021, Lake announced that she was leaving Fox 10 Phoenix after feeling unhappy with her job. She said:
“I don’t like the direction that the media is going. It’s no longer news; it’s become fear-mongering opinion masquerading as fact.”
Gubernatorial Campaign and Controversies
In June 2021, Lake launched her campaign for governor of Arizona as a Republican candidate. She positioned herself as an outsider who would put “Arizona first” and fight against the “radical left”. She promised to reform the election system, secure the border, protect gun rights, ban critical race theory, and defend life.
Lake quickly gained traction among conservative voters and won the endorsement of Trump, who praised her as a “patriot” who would “never let you down”. She also received support from right-wing extremists, such as Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and QAnon promoter Ron Watkins.
Lake faced several controversies during her campaign. She refused to acknowledge Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election and claimed that Trump won Arizona by a landslide. She supported the partisan audit of Maricopa County’s ballots that found no evidence of fraud. She also called for an end to machine counting of ballots and advocated for hand counts instead.
Lake also made inflammatory remarks about her opponents and critics. She accused Biden and Democrats of having a “demonic agenda” that would destroy America. She called for the imprisonment of those who accepted Trump’s defeat, including her Democratic rival Katie Hobbs, the secretary of state who oversaw the election. She also threatened to sue journalists who asked her tough questions or exposed her lies.
Lake won the Republican primary on August 2, 2022, with 43% of the vote, defeating former state treasurer Jeff DeWit, former congressman Matt Salmon, and state board of education member Karrin Taylor Robson. She will face Hobbs in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Conclusion
Kari Lake is a former news anchor who is running for governor of Arizona as a Republican. She is a staunch supporter of Trump and has promoted false claims of election fraud. She has also vowed to crack down on illegal immigration and oppose abortion rights. She credits her father, who raised her after her parents divorced, for shaping her conservative views. She faces Katie Hobbs, the secretary of state who oversaw the 2020 election, in the general election.
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