Kari Lake announced her candidacy for Arizona’s Senate seat currently held by Kyrsten Sinema on Tuesday, aiming to take the election from incumbent Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego. Lake quickly clashed with Gallego, attacking him over his personal conduct – including his apparent decision to leave his pregnant wife when they were nine months in.
Gallego had previously posted an image on X, attributing a partial quote to Lake which read, “And I think we are going to be paving the way and setting the course for other states to follow.” Gallego’s caption for the post was “Kari Lake is ‘incredibly thrilled’ to ban abortion. She’s too dangerous for Arizona.” No context to the alleged quote was immediately offered, and in the altercation that followed the only context came from Lake, referencing the events behind Gallego’s divorce from his then-pregnant wife of years.
Opinions on abortion have been shown to have a crucial influence on how people vote, especially in battleground states such as Arizona, where the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson struck down Roe v. Wade and returned matters of abortion to that of the states.
Recent polling points to abortion being a big concern for the majority of female voters across the US. Kansas, Michigan and Ohio, amongst other states, have held various referendums on the matter which have ultimately brought defeat to the pro-life movement.
Both Lake and Gallego have noted their position on abortion on their respective campaign websites – Lake stating that she does not support a federal ban, while Gallego intends to fight to have Roe v. Wade codified into law. Sinema has yet to publicly lay out her position.
Overall, it’s clear that the abortion issue will have an enormous role to play in the upcoming midterm elections in 2022 and, more specifically, the race for the Arizona Senate seat.
Ruben, you left your wife when she was 9 months pregnant. Maybe you should sit this one out. pic.twitter.com/pAVA5Twmkq
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) October 14, 2023
I think, as a whole, the US is fighting to find its way back to American values while the left continues to push radical changes. Most people support family values, but clearly Lake’s competitor does not. Ultimately, that should cost him the seat.