‘Nothing’s predictable’: Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs comments on Kari Lake’s Senate run announcement

PHOENIX — After former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake announced her run for U.S. Senate, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs discussed the 2024 race.

Lake, a Republican, will join Pinal County Sherriff Mark Lamb in the GOP primary field, and U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego is expected to be the Democratic nominee — all vying for a seat currently held by independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.

Hobbs told reporters Wednesday that “nothing’s predictable” when running against Lake, who officially entered the Senate race Tuesday.

“But we wrote the playbook on beating her; [I’m] happy to share it with whoever’s gonna do the best job for Arizona in the Senate. I certainly don’t think it’s gonna be Kari Lake,” Hobbs said.

Hobbs, a Democrat, has had her 2022 midterm gubernatorial win challenged in court three times by the Republican nominee.

Lake, a prominent Trump supporter, amassed millions in fundraising after the 2020 election.

Despite continued legal challenges by Lake, Hobbs has been able to fundraise off the former Valley TV news anchor. The governor explained the situation isn’t unique to her.

“If you look at every fundraising email from every Democratic candidate or everyone who ever thought about running for office anywhere not even just in Arizona, but in the country, they’re all fundraising off Kari Lake,” Hobbs said. “So it’s not unique to my situation and she certainly is also fundraising off continuing to fight me in court a losing battle. And so, you know, there’s plenty of that to go around.”

During the 2022 election, Democrats strategically tried to boost far-right candidates they thought were easier to beat in major races.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Balin Overstolz-McNair contributed to this report.