2024 Elections

Kari Lake's second bid for political office is facing multiple hurdles related to her conduct after losing a 2022 run for governor of Arizona including a belief by some key Republicans in the state that she can't be trusted.

The former TV personality, who appears slated to be the Republican nominee for the Senate seat currently held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), is facing skeptical conservatives, and is reportedly attempting to "mend fences" with Arizona GOP leaders but is not meeting with overwhelming success so far, reports the New York Times.

The controversial Lake, who has closely aligned herself with the equally controversial Donald Trump, is working diligently to woo the "McCain Republicans" she maligned in her previous campaign while still dealing with the fallout among conservatives after she secretly recorded and then released a conversation she had with Jeff DeWit, the chairman of the Arizona Republican Party.

In the recording, DeWit appeared to offer her a bribe to keep her from running for the Senate seat -- which she rejected. That not only led to his resignation but also alienated his allies, many of whom Lake needs for her latest endeavor.

ALSO READ: ‘We're wounded:’ Speaker Mike Johnson struggles to lead GOP after ‘unnecessary purging’

"Mr. DeWit resigned shortly after the recording surfaced, and Ms. Lake framed the episode as an example of her independence," the Times is reporting. "Some members of the state party reacted with anger, expressing worry about other private conversations Ms. Lake might have recorded. Ms. Lake was greeted with boos at a meeting to elect a new chair."

According to the report, key Republicans in the state now wonder if she has been secretly recording them also.

Jeanne Kentch, the chair of the Mohave County Republican Party, told the Times, "Is it really the way we should all be behaving, even as Republicans? To tape-record somebody that trusts you?" before adding, "I love Kari, don’t get me wrong. But I think that’s what people are concerned about.”

Appearing on MSNBC on Saturday afternoon, a former Republican National Committee staffer who rose to advise the Donald Trump White House on national security issues urged conservatives to close their wallets and stop giving donations to the RNC.

Speaking with host José Díaz-Balart, Olivia Troye expressed dismay that her former employer is now being run by former North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley — a Trump loyalist — and Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump.

"Olivia, you once worked for the RNC. How do you view this installation of Watley and Trump?" the host asked.

"I think it is horrific. I think the RNC, well, yes, they'll support the presidential candidate, but they are supposed to be supporting Republicans across the board, Republican candidates," she replied.

ALSO READ: ‘We're wounded:’ Speaker Mike Johnson struggles to lead GOP after ‘unnecessary purging’

"Instead, I feel like this is officially, overtly, become the Trump legal defense fund," she continued. "So I would say to Republican voters and independents stop donating to the party because the candidates are not going to see that money— we know that. "

"Think about where your funds are going and if you care about electing rational sane Republicans, focus on them directly maybe or turn away from what this is," she added. " Because, really, this is just an enabler for Trump and it's embarrassing."

According to conservative political strategist and polling expert Sarah Longwell, both Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have a problem with voters who are unhappy about their choices in the upcoming presidential election.

And that is worse news for the four-time indicted former president.

Speaking with CNN host Chris Wallace, Longwell discussed voters labeled "double haters" in a New York Times/Sienna College poll that pegged their number at a whopping 19 percent of the electorate.

That huge number is where the election will be won or lost she explained.

"I want to talk to you about something I've been hearing a term in the last few days that is new to me: 'double haters,'" host Wallace prompted. "I want to put up a poll. I have to say, I like this, it fits the campaign perfectly. In a New York Times poll, 19 percent were described as double-haters because they disapprove of both Biden and Trump. And Biden is, correct, currently leading among the double-haters 45 percent to 33 percent."

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"So Sarah are the double-haters a real thing and who's going to end up winning the double-haters," he asked.

"So I conduct focus groups all the time and the double haters are absolutely a real thing," Longwell replied. "In fact, because we have this phenomenon here, where you essentially have two incumbents running against each other, the persuadable chunk of voters is different this time."

"It is people who have, they, they know both these guys and they don't like either," she continued. "And so that's why this is going to be a really negative campaign because persuadable voters — to bring them over — you're gonna have to make them hate the other guy more."

"The phrase that we hear in focus groups all the time, and if it was a drinking game we'd all be dead, is 'the first lesser of two evils' and what they mean is 'I'm basically going to make my decision on who I hate, slightly less' and Biden usually cleans up on that front because people hate Trump a little bit more," she concluded.

Watch below or at the link.

According to conservative pollster Sarah Longwell, voters are less concerned with Donald Trump's age than they are worried about his mental fitness as they look at the presidential choices in 2024.

Appearing on MSNBC's "The Weekend," Longwell — founder of Republican Voters Against Trump — was asked about voter worries about both Trump and President Joe Biden and she replied the public seem to hold them to two different standards.

"I wonder, in your focus groups, how the two issues or bearing out, the question of the candidates and the comparison points between the two them," co-host Alicia Menendez pressed.

ALSO READ: A criminologist explains why half of America does not care about Trump's crimes

"Look, whether it is fair or not, voters don't question Trump's mental capacity, they are questioning his sanity," she replied. "They question whether he is fit enough to be commander in chief from a moral and ethical standpoint."

"Trump has big lunatic energy," she continued as the hosts laughed. "He just doesn't come off the same way that Biden does. So the concerns for voters around age do rest with President Biden."

You can watch below or at the link.