The "aggressively dishonest" Trump-backed candidate for governor in Arizona is getting support for her "Ultra MAGA" campaign by state Democrats.
"Kari Lake watched her lead narrow in the polls and big players in Arizona’s Republican establishment coalesce around her top rival weeks before the state’s Aug. 2 primary for governor. So Democrats stepped in," NBC News reported. "The state party, in an email blast this week, thanked her opponent, Karrin Taylor Robson, for past donations she made to Democratic candidates."
The email was first reported by Phoenix journalist Jeremy Duda.
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"Whoever wins the GOP primary will go into the general election as the favorite, so this could be a 'be careful what you wish for' situation for the Dems," Duda noted.
Duda is the author of the 2016 book If This Be Treason: The American Rogues and Rebels Who Walked the Line Between Dissent and Betrayal.
"It’s not clear if Democrats will spend money to amplify the attack on TV like they have in other races across the country," NBC News reported. "Officials at the state party did not respond to requests for comment, and outside groups like the Democratic Governors Association have yet to spend money that way. But the missive signals how aggressively the party is engaging in GOP primaries this year. In next week’s GOP primary for governor in Maryland, for example, the Democratic Governors Association has outspent term-limited Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s preferred successor with messaging that could boost another Trump-backed candidate."
Lake has referred to Trump as the "Great MAGA King" and was endorsed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Thursday.
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"Asked about the Democrats’ press release following her Tuesday rally, Lake, a former TV news anchor in Phoenix, chuckled and said someone had sent it her way," NBC News reported. "She did not directly address why she thought Arizona Democrats were offering her a helping hand, but turned fire on Taylor Robson, saying she was spending millions on “dishonest ads attacking me for a small donation to a Democrat 15 years ago,” when Taylor Robson herself had made past donations to Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ). Taylor Robson and allies have pointed to Lake’s past support for former President Barack Obama and her having briefly registered as a Democrat. Lake donated to Obama’s first presidential campaign."
Democrats are also intervening in Maryland's gubernatorial race, seeking to boost GOP Rep. Dan Cox over moderate Kelly Schulz.
Doug Mayer, a senior adviser to Schulz, blasted the Democratic Governor's Association (DGA) for intervening.
“They have reinvented the term hypocrisy,” Mayer said. “There’s a certain level of strategy and tactics that are acceptable. But what you don’t get to do is live on Twitter and on MSNBC as the defenders of democracy and then actively promote someone that you believe in your heart of hearts is a threat to this nation.”
The DGA is defending its across-the-aisle meddling.
"Sam Newton, a DGA spokesperson, defended the strategy as an opportunity to educate voters on 'extremism and cowardice' of Republicans who echo Trump’s lies and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election," NBC News reported. "But not all Democrats are aligned on the strategy, and some acknowledge Mayer’s concern as valid — that elevating fringe candidates could undercut their argument about the mortal threat these Republicans pose to democracy."
The move was criticized by Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who has gone viral for boldly blasting Republicans.
"I think the stronger argument that we as Democrats have to make is, no matter which candidate it is, it’s all nonsense," McMorrow said. "It’s just trying to get people so angry and divided, and that’s not who we are. So I think that’s the better case we have to make versus trying to figure out who’s the worst candidate to put up."
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