Former President Donald Trump is hosting a tele-town hall rally on Monday to give Kari Lake a final boost in her bid for the Senate GOP nomination in Arizona.
The 8 p.m. event comes ahead of the primary on Tuesday, which will decide whether Ms. Lake or Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb faces off in the general election against Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is running unopposed in the Democratic race.
Ms. Lake has tied herself to Mr. Trump, hoping to ride the former president’s coattails to victory in a battleground state Senate contest that will help decide whether Democrats can defend their slim Senate majority.
That strategy did not work in Ms. Lake’s failed bid for governor in 2022 when she turned off many Republicans with her criticism of the late Sen. John McCain, a revered figure in the state, and her aggressive embrace of the Trump brand.
Still, Ms. Lake is in the driver’s seat in the GOP primary, according to a Noble Predictive Insights poll released Monday that showed her leading Mr. Lamb 49% to 38%.
Mike Noble, the polling group’s founder, said the survey carried warning signs for Ms. Lake ahead of a likely general election matchup with Mr. Gallego. Mr. Lamb leads Ms. Lake among younger voters, party-first Republicans and independents.
“Lake looks promising in overcoming the first challenge in the Senate race – winning the primary – but she’ll have to shape her general election strategy to capture the key voter blocs she’s currently struggling with to compete with the Democratic candidate,” Mr. Noble said in a press release.
A May survey from Noble Predictive Insights found Ms. Lake was struggling to replicate the level of appeal Mr. Trump has among various voting groups, including independents, women and suburbanites.
Mr. Gallego, meanwhile, held a 46% to 36% lead in a February survey over Ms. Lake in a hypothetical general election race, with 19% of voters undecided.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is vacating the Senate seat. The Democrat-turned-independent opted against reelection after falling out of favor with liberal activists.
The political handicappers at the Cook Political Report give Democrats a slight edge in the race, rating it “Lean D.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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