Trump-Lake 2024? He’s Reportedly Considering Her As A VP Pick—But She Says She’s Still Focused On Failed Arizona Race

Topline

Former President Donald Trump is considering defeated Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake as a potential running mate in the 2024 presidential election, Axios reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with his thinking, while Lake continues to claim she was the true winner of the midterm election.

Key Facts

Trump reportedly wants a female running mate in hopes of winning back suburban women who moved away from him in 2020, when more voters in large suburban areas cast their ballots for Democrats for the first time since 2008, according to research from the Brookings Institution.

Lake—who was endorsed by Trump in her midterm race and has been a prominent promoter of his false claim he won the 2020 presidential election—is among four female candidates that fit Trump’s mold for a vice presidential candidate, according to Trump confidants cited by Axios.

Other possible Republican picks include his former White House press secretary, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who launched a bid for the 2024 GOP nomination in February.

Contra

The people familiar with Trump’s thinking told Axios that Lake’s potential to outshine Trump, along with her loss in the midterm election, are pitfalls. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung firmly disputed any speculation surrounding the former president’s thinking, telling the outlet that “anyone who thinks they know what President Trump is going to do is seriously misinformed and trying to curry favor with ‘potential’ V.P. candidates,” and warning “those who are playing the media game are doing so at their own peril.”

Big Number

20%. That’s the share of attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference over the weekend who said they preferred Lake as Trump’s vice presidential pick over 27 other potential candidates. In response to the poll, Lake’s campaign suggested that she is focused on her pursuit to be installed as Arizona governor. “We’re flattered, but unfortunately our legal team says the Constitution won’t allow for her to serve as Governor and VP at the same time,” her campaign account tweeted.

Key Background

Lake, a former local Fox News TV anchor in Phoenix, lost the midterm election by 17,117 votes to Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in November and is pursuing a lawsuit claiming election malfeasance led to her defeat. An appeals court in February rejected the suit, siding with a lower court, and Lake has since taken her appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court. Trump has defended Lake as the true winner of the election. He claimed in November on Truth Social that she lost due to a “criminal voting operation” and demanded that she be installed as governor.

Further Reading

Trump, Kari Lake Amplify Unfounded Claims Of Election Malfeasance In Arizona As Certification Deadline Nears (Forbes)

Kari Lake’s Defeat Caps A String Of Losses Among Candidates Who Cast Doubt On The 2020 Presidential Election (Forbes)

Kari Lake Can Argue Her Claims Of Election Malfeasance In Court, Judge Says (Forbes)