Kari Lake picks up key Republican endorsement in Arizona Senate race

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Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake was endorsed by the No. 3 Senate Republican on Monday in a sign that GOP leadership is ready to back the Trump ally in the battleground state.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, said Ms. Lake “will shine brightly for Arizona” and understands the state’s influx of illegal immigration.

“She is a generational communicator who is giving voice to Arizona citizens,” Mr. Barrasso said in a statement. “Nearly 8 million illegal immigrants under Biden, equal to the population of Arizona. The U.S. Senate needs a senator from Arizona that understands these issues and will fight to solve them.”

Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema holds the seat and is up for reelection but has not said whether she’ll seek a second term in 2024. The race is crucial to determine control of the chamber, which Democrats hold by just two seats.

The endorsement from Mr. Barrasso, an ally of Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, marked Ms. Lake’s first official seal of approval from an incumbent senator. Polling has shown her ahead of Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in the Republican primary.

In three-way matchups for the general election among Ms. Lake, Ms. Sinema and Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, recent polls suggest Ms. Lake and Mr. Gallego are virtually tied.

Ms. Lake lost her bid in 2022 for Arizona governor against Democrat Katie Hobbs, a race Ms. Lake says was riddled with voter fraud. Her stolen election claims and close ties to Donald Trump created tension with top Senate Republicans, who distanced themselves from the former president after the U.S. Capitol protest of Jan. 6, 2021.

“Kari Lake is in this race to make Arizona and America stronger,” Mr. Barrasso said in his endorsement.

Ms. Lake officially kicked off her campaign with an event last week featuring a recorded endorsement from Mr. Trump. She met with several Republican senators in the days prior, including with the man tasked with getting GOP candidates elected.

“We have had productive conversations with Kari Lake and her team,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines of Montana said at the time. “She is a talented campaigner with an impressive ability to fire up the grassroots. We have a clear path to victory, with two Democrats on the ballot in Arizona.”

Senate Democrats are equally as confident with Ms. Lake on the ticket, calling her “Senate Republicans’ worst nightmare.”

“She has dangerous views and harmful policies: an abortion ban without exceptions, ending Medicare and Social Security, and fringe conspiracies that are far out of step with normal Arizonans,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Gary Peters of Michigan said last week. “Even Republicans didn’t want Lake to run because voters rejected her before, and they’ll do so again in 2024.”