Republican US Senate hopeful Mark Lamb says he’s ready to debate Kari Lake before primary

PHOENIX — Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who is gunning for Kyrsten Sinema’s U.S. Senate seat, said he’s looking forward to debating Republican rival Kari Lake.

He described himself as a proven conservative fighter during an interview with KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Wednesday.

“We’ve got to make sure that we’ve got somebody with the experience, the right experience with the issues we’re dealing with,” Lamb said.

Lamb is set to debate Lake on June 26 in an event orchestrated by Arizona Clean Elections.

Debating his Republican opponents — Lake and Elizabeth Jean Reye — is an opportunity to show voters his skillset, he added.

“I think they’re going to see that the experience when it relates to the border, when it relates to managing budgets within government, the ability to reduce crime, I think the voters are going to see a real vast difference in experience,” Lamb said.

Sinema, an independent, isn’t seeking reelection. The winner of the July 30 Republican primary will face U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is unopposed on the Democratic side, in the Nov. 5 general election.

Sheriff to talk border issues in Arizona Republican primary debate

After speaking to Arizonans while on the campaign trail, Lamb said the same sentiments are echoed again and again.

Many residents want to see an end to the fentanyl crisis and the insecure U.S.-Mexico border, he said.

“I’ll be the most experienced senator in the Senate when it comes to the border,” Lamb said.

Mark Lamb’s chances of becoming Republican Senate nominee

Poll results from Noble Predictive Insights (NPI) suggest Lake is in the lead. She has a large advantage over Lamb in the GOP primary race (54%-21%).

The poll, which was conducted by the Phoenix-based NPI Feb. 6-13, has a margin of error that is plus or minus 3.1%.

Despite the polling numbers, Lamb insists he has a fighting chance.

People who treat Lake as the presumptive Republican nominee aren’t taking the power of voters into account, he added.

“I’ve been the best candidate all along. Our internal polling shows that we’re in the captain’s seat here,” Lamb said.

“We’ve felt very confident from the beginning, especially when we go out there and talk to the people. We see that we really are gaining a lot of traction.”

Getting out and connecting with the people of Arizona is his top priority now, he added.

“The vote is what matters: the people’s vote, getting out, making sure that we get all the votes we can on July 30th is what’s going to dictate who moves on to the general election,” Lamb said.