Kari Lake, election integrity top of mind for out-of-state RNC attendees on Arizona politics

MILWAUKEE — The name of one Arizona politician has dominated the meeting circles of out-of-state attendees at this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee: Kari Lake.

The former local television news anchor has never held public office, but that hasn’t stopped her from gaining nationwide GOP popularity.

“She’s become a household name in a lot of places. I hear her name a lot of places in Virginia,” Jessi Blakely, who traveled from Hanover County in northern Richmond, Virginia, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday.

“Some of our folks were asking if she was going to be here and if they could get pictures and stuff. So she definitely has some fans out of state.”

North of Blakely in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Steven Wolfe was acutely aware of Lake’s 2022 run for governor and the election lawsuits she put forth following her loss to Democrat Katie Hobbs.

“You’ve got things you’ve got to get under control down there,” Wolfe said.

Bob Oberlender, who resides about 40 miles southwest of San Antonio in Medina County, Texas, has noticed Lake’s presence online in recent years.

“I’ll tell you that her name pops up in our news feeds frequently,” Oberlender said.

Lake spoke Tuesday at on the convention’s main stage. She was the only Arizona political figure scheduled to have that privilege as she looks to win the July 30 primary and set up a battle with Democrat Ruben Gallego for Arizona’s open U.S. Senate seat.

What else are out-of-state RNC attendees saying about Arizona politics?

Almost as popular as Lake to out-of-state conventiongoers was the issue of election integrity.

Arizona was thrust into the national spotlight first in 2020 and again in 2022 with claims of stolen elections by the likes of former President Donald Trump, Lake and others in the Republican Party.

The online proliferation of Arizona’s elections has not been lost on Blakely, who believes election practices have been challenged elsewhere as a result.

“I don’t know what the full resolution there was but certainly something that people were paying attention to in other states and I think it’s giving people stuff to look for in other places,” Blakely said.

Oberlender said he’s also aware of Arizona election news, notably Lake’s challenges in her 2022 race.

“We’re concerned about election integrity,” Oberlender said. “If we can’t trust the vote, we’ve lost way too much.”

Since Blakely and Wolfe also live in swing states, they know how important Arizona’s upcoming elections will be.

“It’s certainly a swing state like Virginia, so it’s got a kind of a special place in my heart to see what’s going on out there,” Blakely said. “It’s a fun brand of politics that you guys have.”

Wolfe is hoping Arizona voters will turn out to support the Republican Party.

“If they live in Arizona and they’re legally here and they’re citizens, get them registered to vote,” Wolfe said. “It’s not about personality, it’s about policy.”

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