{"id":2337304,"date":"2024-09-05T14:33:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-05T18:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mccain-ally-lindsey-graham-endorses-kari-lake-for-arizona-senate-bid-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-05T14:37:25","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T18:37:25","slug":"mccain-ally-lindsey-graham-endorses-kari-lake-for-arizona-senate-bid-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mccain-ally-lindsey-graham-endorses-kari-lake-for-arizona-senate-bid-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"McCain ally Lindsey Graham endorses Kari Lake for Arizona Senate bid &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmccain-ally-lindsey-graham-endorses-kari-lake-for-arizona-senate-bid-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2337304&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has endorsed Kari Lake for\u2064 the Arizona Senate race, a move aimed at strengthening her position among Republicans, particularly those\u2063 aligned with the \u2062late \u2063Senator John McCain. Graham praised Lake for her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/one-of-desantis-biggest-donors-gives-ron-the-bad-news-the-plug-will-soon-be-pulled\/\" title=\"Major DeSantis donor delivers grim message: Plug to be pulled soon.\">conservative \u200cpolicies<\/a> on critical \u200cissues like border control, the\u2063 economy, and foreign policy. His endorsement emphasizes the need for Republican \u2064unity to combat the Democratic agenda, suggesting that Lake represents a reliable\u200c conservative vote.<\/p>\n<p>Lake, who has previously alienated some GOP\u2062 voters during her 2022 \u200cgubernatorial \u200dcampaign, now seeks to mend \u200brelations with &#8220;McCain Republicans&#8221; and has\u2064 been\u200d promoting\u2064 a message \u200cof\u2063 unity and diplomacy in her \u200cSenate bid. This effort is driven by her desire to recover support \u200dfrom centrist \u200dvoters while\u2064 navigating a complicated relationship with \u200dMcCain&#8217;s family, particularly after their\u200b public disagreements.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Graham&#8217;s\u200d support, Lake \u200bfaces strong opposition from some of McCain\u2019s family members, including his daughter, Meghan McCain, \u2063who has expressed clear disapproval of her campaign. The political\u200b dynamics are intense, compounded by\u200c Lake\u2019s past comments that offended McCain supporters. \u200dWith upcoming challenges, including a close \u200crace against Democratic candidate Rep. Ruben Gallego, Lake&#8217;s ability \u200cto unite the GOP and repair her image will be crucial for\u2063 her campaign&#8217;s \u200bsuccess.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">John McCain ally Lindsey Graham endorses Kari Lake amid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feud-escalates-between-country-legend-and-rude-reporter-ends-in-10k-anti-biden-bet\/\" title=\"Feud Escalates Between Country Legend and Rude Reporter, Ends in K Anti-Biden Bet\">feud<\/a> with late senator&rsquo;s children<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1746029\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE &mdash; <\/strong>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lindsey-graham\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Lindsey Graham<\/a> (R-SC) is endorsing Kari Lake in the <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/arizona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Arizona<\/a> Senate race, giving a boost to the Republican candidate as she seeks to make amends with certain GOP voters whom she alienated in 2022 &mdash; particularly those close with the late Sen. John McCain.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Graham backed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3105289\/kari-lake-victory-arizona-gop-primary-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Lake <\/a>on Thursday, touting her policy stances on issues such as the border, the economy, inflation, and foreign policy. The South Carolina senator also lauded Lake as a &ldquo;reliable conservative vote&rdquo; that would help to thwart Democrats&rsquo; agenda and &ldquo;change course in this country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Her opponent is one of the most radical members of the Democratic party who will double-down on Kamala Harris&rsquo;s failed agenda,&rdquo; Graham said in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner. <\/em>&ldquo;I urge you to support Kari Lake to represent Arizona in the United States Senate as she will help President Trump turn this nation around, and give Republicans a senate majority we desperately need.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The endorsement is key for Lake as McCain, who died in 2018 at 81 years old, was best friends with Graham when they worked together in the Senate, possibly helping her ease the divide with centrist voters.<\/p>\n<p>Since launching her Senate bid, Lake has sought to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/neocons-and-makeup-republicans-should-win-again-before-tearing-each-other-apart\/\" title=\"\u2018Neocons And Makeup\u2019: Republicans Should Win Again Before Tearing Each Other Apart\">win back<\/a> Republican voters she angered during her gubernatorial run in 2022, particularly the so-called &ldquo;McCain Republicans.&rdquo; Two years ago, she said her candidacy &ldquo;drove a stake through the heart of the McCain machine.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>That relationship further deteriorated when Lake told McCain supporters to &ldquo;get the hell out&rdquo; during a campaign event in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>But now, Lake is seeking to mend those wounds, preaching diplomacy and unity in her new campaign.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The first step in saving America is electing Republicans up and down the ballot and the first step in doing that is uniting the GOP,&rdquo; Lake said in a statement. &ldquo;I am honored to have Senator Graham&rsquo;s endorsement and I look forward to working with him in D.C. to advance President Trump&rsquo;s agenda in the Senate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But Graham&rsquo;s endorsement may not be enough to convince all McCain supporters, especially as Lake navigates a feud with the late senator&rsquo;s children.<\/p>\n<p>Meghan McCain, John McCain&rsquo;s daughter, has been vocal about her opposition to Lake&rsquo;s Senate bid even as she attempts to clean up her past comments.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Guess she realized she can&rsquo;t become a Senator without us,&rdquo; Meghan McCain <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MeghanMcCain\/status\/1759958954891673666?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>wrote in a post<\/a> on X in February. &ldquo;No peace, b****. We see you for who you are &ndash; and are repulsed by it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>That post led to a tense exchange between the two, as Lake sought to meet with Meghan McCain &ldquo;to buy you a beer, a coffee or lunch and pick your brain about how we can work together to strengthen our state.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My team is sending you my contact info &mdash; if you&rsquo;re willing to meet, it would mean a lot to me,&rdquo; Lake <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KariLake\/status\/1760269026490753442?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>wrote in a response post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;NO PEACE, B****!&rdquo; Meghan McCain <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MeghanMcCain\/status\/1760346193630990352?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>shot back<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Graham&rsquo;s endorsement comes after the late senator&rsquo;s son, Jimmy McCain, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3141851\/john-mccains-son-endorses-harris-hits-trump-arlington-cemetery-visit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>changed his registration<\/a> to Democratic and said he would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump. Lake has closely aligned herself with the Republican presidential nominee throughout her Senate bid.<\/p>\n<p>John McCain often opposed Trump and even rescinded his support for his 2016 presidential campaign, resulting in a long-standing feud between the two while the former president was in office. Trump has taken personal jabs at McCain, including about his military service, resulting in backlash from several Republican lawmakers and McCain&rsquo;s family members.<\/p>\n<p>Polling shows a tight contest between the two, but the most recent surveys show the Democratic candidate, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), with a healthy lead over Lake in the swing state. Gallego leads Lake by 3 percentage points, 47% to 44%, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/09\/04\/politics\/cnn-polls-battleground-states\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>CNN<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/09\/04\/politics\/cnn-polls-battleground-states\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>poll<\/a> published this week.<\/p>\n<p>However, Lake&rsquo;s allies have pointed to Trump&rsquo;s polling in Arizona against Harris as a good sign for her campaign as her positions closely mirror those of the former president. He leads the vice president 49% to 44%, according to the same poll.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The race is expected to lean Democratic based on predictions from the nonpartisan <em>Cook Political Report<\/em>, which is a shift from earlier this year that deemed the seat a toss-up.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats control the Senate by one vote, with the advantage of Harris as a tiebreaker if necessary. Republicans only need to flip one Senate seat to win the majority should they win back the White House in 2024, but if they do not regain the Oval Office, they need to secure two extra Senate seats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1746029\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1746029\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a close ally of John McCain, has endorsed Kari Lake in her campaign for the Arizona Senate seat. This endorsement comes as Lake attempts to reconcile with some Republican voters she distanced during her 2022 gubernatorial run, especially those associated with the late Senator McCain. Graham expressed his support for Lake on Thursday, highlighting her positions on key issues like border security, the economy, inflation, and foreign policy. He described her as a &#8220;reliable conservative vote&#8221; who could help counteract Democratic policies and shift the direction of the country.<\/p>\n<p>Graham criticized Lake&#8217;s opponent as one of the most extreme members of the Democratic Party and urged voters to back Lake to aid President Trump in revitalizing America and achieving a Republican majority in the Senate. This endorsement is significant for Lake since McCain was Graham&#8217;s close friend during their time in office together, potentially helping her reconnect with centrist Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>Since announcing her Senate candidacy, Lake has been working to regain support from GOP voters she upset previously. In 2022, she remarked that her campaign had &#8220;driven a stake through the heart of the McCain machine,&#8221; which further strained relations when she told McCain supporters to &#8220;get out&#8221; at an event. Now aiming for reconciliation, she emphasizes unity within the GOP.<\/p>\n<p>Lake stated that electing Republicans across all levels is crucial for saving America and expressed gratitude for Graham&#8217;s endorsement while looking forward to collaborating with him in Washington D.C.<\/p>\n<p>However, not all supporters of John McCain may be swayed by Graham\u2019s backing due to ongoing tensions between Lake and McCain\u2019s children. Meghan McCain has openly opposed Lake\u2019s candidacy despite efforts from Lake to reach out and discuss collaboration on state issues.<\/p>\n<p>Graham&#8217;s endorsement follows Jimmy McCain&#8217;s recent switch to Democratic registration and his preference for Vice President Kamala Harris over Donald Trump\u2014who had longstanding conflicts with John McCain during his presidency.<\/p>\n<p>Polling indicates a competitive race between candidates; however, recent surveys show Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego leading Kari Lake by three percentage points in Arizona\u2014a state considered pivotal but currently leaning Democratic according to analysts at Cook Political Report. The Democrats hold a slim majority in the Senate but need additional seats if they do not reclaim control of the White House after 2024 elections<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2640,"featured_media":2337305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AP24172678516130-scaled-1024x682.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34668,33066,32283,40207,39035],"class_list":["post-2337304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-arizona-senate","tag-kari-lake","tag-lindsey-graham","tag-mccain-ally","tag-political-endorsement"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AP24172678516130-scaled-1024x682.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2337304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337304\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2337305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2337304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2337304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2337304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}