Arizona Republican governor frontrunner Kari Lake responded on Friday to Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-Wyo.) “anti-endorsement” efforts, saying a television ad she sponsored and recently broadcasted caused a surge in campaign donations.
“Thank you for your generous in-kind contribution to my campaign,” Lake wrote mockingly in a letter to Cheney that was shared on Twitter.
“Your recent television ad urging Arizonans not to vote for me is doing just the opposite,” she continued. “Our campaign donations are skyrocketing and our website nearly crashed from traffic as people rushed to learn more about my plan to put Arizona First and join our historic political movement.”
Lake, who is actively campaigning against Democrat Katie Hobbs in the race for Arizona governor, said Cheney’s effort to derail her campaign resulted in the “biggest fundraiser yet,” claiming she raised $300,000 in a single day.
We JUST hit $300K raised in a SINGLE DAY! Shoutout to Liz Cheney, my biggest fundraiser yet ♥️
Let’s keep going!! DONATE⤵️https://t.co/XJKyq7uzXn https://t.co/HyGwu0IqUx
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) October 29, 2022
With less than two weeks to go before the November elections, Lake leads Hobbs in a FOX 10 InsiderAdvantage news poll 54–43 percent.
“In fact, my team tells me your commercial should add another 10 points to our lead!” Lake said in the letter. “I guess that’s why they call the Cheney anti-endorsement the gift that keeps on giving.”
Matt Towery, who was among those conducting the InsiderAdvantage poll, believes Hobbs’ reluctance to participate in a debate against Lake may be contributing to the gap between the two widening in recent weeks.
‘The Great Task’
Cheney’s television ad is part of “The Great Task,” a multi-candidate political action committee (PAC) sponsored by the outgoing GOP congresswoman.
In a statement, the PAC announced that it’s making “a significant media buy” in Arizona to air a 30-second ad urging voters to reject Lake and Rep. Mark Finchem, the Republican candidate for Arizona’s secretary of state.
The ad, dubbed “Honor,” is part of an over $500,000 media buy and will air on broadcast, online, and streaming platforms across Arizona.
“You have a candidate for governor, Kari Lake, you have a candidate for secretary of state, Mark Finchem, both of whom have said that they will only honor the results of an election if they agree with it,” Cheney said in the clip.
Cheney, who has been called a “Republican in name only” by others in her party and lost the GOP primary to Trump-backed challenger Harriet Hageman in August, vowed last month that she’s “going to do everything” in her power to make sure Lake is not elected.
On Thursday, Cheney announced her endorsement of Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Wyoming Republican’s first-ever endorsement of a Democrat.
Cheney, who has become one of the most vocal voices in the Republican Party against former President Donald Trump, was one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump. She is also one of two Republican members sitting on the Democrat-led House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.