Topline
Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake said at a rally Sunday her supporters should “strap on a Glock” to prepare for the upcoming six months before the 2024 election, which she said will be “intense” and “difficult”—marking the candidate’s latest controversial comments involving guns.
Key Facts
Speaking in Mohave County, Arizona, on Sunday, Lake—who is running to represent Arizona in the Senate—told supporters “the next six months are going to be difficult” and advised them to be “ready for action,” according to a video of the rally from NBC News.
“We are going to put on the armor of God. Then maybe strap on a Glock on the side of us, just in case,” Lake said to a round of applause at the rally.
Forbes has reached out to Lake’s campaign for comment.
Crucial Quote
“You can put (a Glock) here and one in the back or one in the front, whatever you guys decide,” Lake said to more applause. “Cause we’re not gonna be the victims of crime, we’re not gonna have our Second Amendment taken away, we’re certainly not gonna have our First Amendment taken away by these tyrants.”
Tangent
Last summer, Lake made controversial comments that her Senate opponent, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, said threatened “the very core of our democracy.” Lake told Republicans at a convention in Georgia that if people wanted to “get to President Trump,” they’d have to go through “75 million Americans,” most of whom, she said, “are card-carrying members of the NRA. That’s not a threat, that’s a public service announcement,” Business Insider reported. Lake continued, saying: “Frankly, now is the time to cling to our guns and our religion.”
Key Background
Lake launched her campaign for the Senate after losing a bid for governor to Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs in 2022. She is known for continuing to insist—without evidence—that the 2022 race was rigged against her. Lake and Gallego are competing for the Senate seat that will be left empty by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who announced last month she would not seek reelection. The race is expected to be one of the year’s most hotly contested Senate elections as Democrats hope to maintain their narrow lead in the chamber, with Gallego holding a single-digit lead in some recent polls. Lake has been a loyalist of former President Donald Trump and continues to praise him, saying at Sunday’s rally, “he’s willing to sacrifice everything.”
Big Number
75%. That’s how much of Mohave County voted for Trump in 2020, ABC reported.
