Kari Lake dismisses VP talk, still focused on her Arizona gubernatorial defeat

Kari Lake is dismissing murmurs she could be former President Donald Trump’s running mate in 2024.

The Republican, who lost the Arizona governor’s race to Democrat Katie Hobbs by about 17,000 votes, says she’s focused on challenging those November results.

“I am 100% dedicated to serving as Arizona Governor. I will also work to make sure President Trump gets back in the White House ASAP,” she told DailyMail.com. “Anything outside of those two goals is nothing but a distraction.”

Ms. Lake outlined her priorities amid rampant speculation about a pairing with Mr. Trump as his vice presidential pick.

She topped a straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference last weekend that asked attendees to name their preferred vice presidential candidate, and Axios reports that Mr. Trump is eyeing Ms. Lake as a loyal contender.

Mr. Trump moved on from his partner in 2016 and 2020 — former Vice President Mike Pence — after Mr. Pence in January 2021 refused Mr. Trump’s push to reject electoral votes that confirmed President Biden’s victory.

Ms. Lake recently traveled to Iowa, a key presidential proving ground, but said she wasn’t interested in running for president or vice president.

An appeals court last month rejected Ms. Lake’s push to revisit the November election in Arizona. The panel said she did not provide sufficient evidence to show the contest was tainted by illegal votes or misconduct.

Ms. Lake is holding onto her claims.

“My goal is to be in the Arizona Governor’s office,” she said in the Daily Mail statement. “I won the election and everyone in Arizona knows it. We The People deserve to have the leaders we elect hold the office we elect them to.”