Kari Lake says her ‘great name ID’ is helpful for fundraising in Arizona US Senate race

PHOENIX – Arizona Republican Kari Lake said Wednesday the fact that she’s become so well known has been a boon to her U.S. Senate fundraising efforts.

However, campaign finance records show that Lake’s likely general election opponent is running rings around her when it comes to collecting contributions.

“I’ve got great name ID, the same name ID that President [Donald] Trump has in Arizona, which is wonderful. It’s helpful when you go into a room and you don’t have to go, ‘Hey, you don’t know me, but I’m running for office.’ It’s helpful when you’re needing to do fundraising,” Lake told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show.

The TV-news-anchor-turned-MAGA-firebrand’s star power was on display on radio row in Milwaukee a day after her Republican National Convention speech.

ICYMI: @KariLake's FULL Address to the 2024 Republican National Convention⤵️ pic.twitter.com/sHKOWPS2uB

— Kari Lake (@KariLake) July 16, 2024

“I came over to do two interviews, radio, and then I ended up doing about 20,” she said Wednesday.

Why Kari Lake says her name ID is ‘a gift’

Lake wasn’t complaining about the attention, however. She described her high profile as “a gift.”

“Name ID and name recognition is important in politics,” she said. “But more importantly, I like that the reason people do know me is because they know I care and I’m a fighter.”

Lake acknowledged the importance of fundraising ahead of a probable general election matchup against U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego. Lake is polling as the clear frontrunner in the GOP primary, while Gallego is unopposed on the Democratic side in the race to succeed outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.

“This is going to be an expensive race. We just raised 5.2 million in the last quarter, which is great. It’s better than I think almost any Senate candidate out there on the Republican side,” she said.

What do records say about Arizona Senate race fundraising?

However, second-quarter Federal Election Commission campaign finance reports indicate that Lake faces a significant deficit from a financial perspective.

FEC records show that Gallego reported nearly $10.5 million in receipts to Lake’s total of just over $4.3 million for March-June. (KTAR.com reached out to Lake’s campaign for clarification of her on-air statement that she raised $5.2 million in the last quarter.)

Gracias, Arizona!

We raised over $10.4 million from 250,000+ donations last quarter, proving that this campaign is built to win in November. pic.twitter.com/rPDqSKwy5Q

— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) July 9, 2024

In addition, Lake’s campaign reported debts of $812,306 while Gallego’s operation was debt-free.

Meanwhile, the records show Gallego with over $9.2 million cash on hand, more than tripling Lake’s war chest of just under $2.8 million.

“The Democrats always find money from God knows where and God knows who, and this is why it’s important to have somebody in this race on the ticket who … actually has that name ID and is able to raise money across the country,” Lake said. “It’s going to take money from across the country to win this race, and I’m positioned to do that.”

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