It is no secret that some Republicans in Washington do not wish to see Kari Lake compete in Arizona’s upcoming Senate race. A Donald Trump loyalist to her core, Lake has framed this sentiment as an elitist assault on the so-called America First movement. In reality, establishment Republicans like Mitch McConnell are likely far more concerned by the prospect of Lake winning the primary this summer only to lose the general election—just as she did in her 2022 gubernatorial bid, an outcome likely caused by her continual denial of Joe Biden’s victory.
Simply put, Republicans want to retake the Senate; Lake does not seem to give them the best odds of doing that.
Enter Jeff DeWit, the erstwhile chairman of the Arizona Republican Party. DeWit announced his resignation on Wednesday, one day after the Daily Mail published an audio recording of DeWit advising Lake that “very powerful people” want to keep her out of the race for Kyrsten Sinema’s Senate seat, and that he would like to see a “fresh face” compete instead of her. “So the ask I got today from back East was: Is there any companies out there or something that could just put her on the payroll to keep her out?” he adds. He later appears to ask if there is “a number at which” she would consider abstaining from the race, but Lake interjects. “I can be bought? That’s what it’s about,” she replies, to which DeWit suggests, “You can take a pause for a couple of years. You can go right back to what you’re doing.”
DeWit, who served as the chief operating officer on Trump’s 2020 campaign, said he was coerced into resigning by the Lake campaign, claiming in a Wednesday statement that he was told a “more damaging” recording would be released if he didn’t. “I am truly unsure of its contents,” he said of the purported second tape. “I have decided not to take the risk. I am resigning as Lake requested, in the hope that she will honor her commitment to cease her attacks, allowing me to return to the business sector.”
Through her spokespeople, Lake issued a blanket denial of DeWit’s allegations. “No one from the Kari Lake campaign threatened or blackmailed DeWit,” Lake advisers Caroline Wren and Garrett Ventry told CNN. “It is unfortunate that Dewit hasn’t recognized how unethical his behavior was and still hasn’t apologized to Arizona Republicans.”
For Lake, the incident is no doubt a boon for her primary campaign. It all but confirms her self-portrayal as a Trump-esque political outsider, equally feared and hated by the party establishment. But it is also true that she is not the most electable candidate in a general election. After refusing to concede her gubernatorial loss in a series of ill-advised legal battles, Lake inextricably tied herself to election denialism, which could hurt her among the moderate and independent voters she would need to win a general election. This likely makes her the preferred Republican opponent for Congressman Ruben Gallego, the leading Democrat vying for Sinema’s seat. (A former Democrat who went independent in 2022, Sinema has yet to announce whether she will seek reelection.)
