Refusing to admit that she lost her 2022 race for Arizona governor, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake instead pivoted to water issues in an onstage debate moment Wednesday night that quickly sparked social media criticism.
Lake narrowly lost the Arizona governor race and subsequent legal challenges to Democrat Katie Hobbs, according to Politico. She has refused to acknowledge the loss, however, a fact seized on by her opponent.
“She’s in denial about climate change,” Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) told moderators Wednesday at the highly-anticipated debate in Phoenix. “And we should not be surprised that she's still in denial about the 2022 election. Will you finally tell the people of Arizona did you win or lose that election?”
“Can I talk about water really quickly?” she asked the two moderators. “Because I thought we were going to do water.”
Critics pounced on her response.
“Utter disaster for Kari Lake in tonight's debate,” political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen wrote on social media shortly after the moment.
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“For the one millionth time Kari Lake refuses to admit she lost the 2022 election,” the Arizona Democratic Party wrote on X.
However, Arizona GOP congressional candidate Abe Hamadeh came to her defense.
“Watching the Arizona Senate debate and it’s abundantly clear: [Kari Lake] is the most effective communicator in the Republican Party and it’s exactly why the media, Democrats, and the crooks are scared of her,” Hamadeh posted on X.
The debate, the candidates’ first faceoff, was aired live on television stations across Arizona, according to media reports. The winner of the Senate race will replace ongoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who opted out of seeking reelection after leaving the Democratic party to become an independent.
The war of words between the political foes did not end on the debate stage.
In response to a social media post on X after the debate in which Gallego accused Lake of “personal attacks” to distract “from the fact that she wants to ban abortions,” Lake hit back.
“Personal attacks? You sexually harassed a female coworker. Sit this one out, Ruben,” she wrote.
