GOP Senate hopeful Kari Lake is branded a fake and likened to a ‘bazooka lacking aim’ as Republicans turn on Trump supporting-candidate for flip-flopping on MAGA beliefs

Senate hopeful Kari Lake has been labeled a phony and compared to a “bazooka without a target” as Republicans turn on her for manipulating her MAGA beliefs.

Lake built a national personality as a prominent far-right figure who aligned himself with former President Donald Trump and galvanized the MAGA movement.

In her campaign to win a Senate seat, Lake has been labeled a phony by fellow Republicans after trying to tone down her political approach to win the seat.

Some conservatives in the state have raised concerns about her authenticity and doubted her ability to win in November.

Dan Farley, president of the Arizona Tea Party, told the New York Times, “She’s a powerful force, but a bazooka without a target. She blows up her own garage instead of enemies in the driveway.”

Dan Farley, chairman of the Arizona Tea Party, is seen at right with Lake’s opponent Sheriff Mark Lamb

Farley added, “Kari Lake makes a lot of rookie mistakes, and you just don’t know what you’re going to get with her or where she’s going to land.”

He has since endorsed her main opponent, Sheriff Mark Lamb, in the race for the seat currently held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.

Jeff Fleetham, an Arizona Republican who served as Trump’s delegate, endorsed Lake two years ago but said he would not vote if she wins the party nomination.

He told the New York Times: “She just seems to want to be in the spotlight. She cannot be trusted in what she says or does.’

Rep. Matt Salmon, who ran against her in 2022, also said, “There is nothing authentic about her.

“She touts her endorsements, but two years ago she would have criticized anyone with those same endorsements and declared them swamp creatures.”

Republicans are eager to win back the seat that Sinema won as a Democrat in 2018, with Trump supporting both Lake’s campaign and party leaders.

A recent poll last month found that 27 percent of Republicans had a negative view of Lake.

That was more than double the share of Democrats who said the same about Democratic front-runner Ruben Gallego.

Republicans are eager to win back the seat Sinema won as a Democrat in 2018, with Trump backing both Lake’s campaign and party leaders

A “Kari Lake for Senate” poster is hung on the door during a watch party hosted by her campaign at the Foley Ranch Country Bar in Phoenix, Arizona on March 19.

Of all Arizona voters, 49 percent had a negative opinion of Lake – compared to 40 percent who had a positive opinion of Lake.

In her first three months, she managed to raise $2.3 million — one of the strongest showings for any Republican.

Lake said in an interview, “I meet people every day who haven’t been Trumpers.

“I sit down with them, and I don’t change who I am. I say, ‘Look, we agree on this, this and this.’

Lake, a former television news anchor at a Fox network station in Phoenix, ran for governor of Arizona in 2022 and lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs.

She was hailed as a charismatic presence on the campaign trail but was one of several candidates closely associated with Trump who flopped at the ballot box.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced Thursday that he would support Kari Lake’s bid for Senate

“When I get back to the White House, I need strong fighters like Kari in the Senate,” Trump said during a recorded message

Senator Ted Cruz announced Thursday that he would throw his support behind Lake in the race.

“Kari has proven that she will always prioritize the safety and well-being of Arizonans and the American people and will not back down from a fight,” Cruz said in a statement shared exclusively with DailyMail.com.

Cruz’s endorsement adds Lake to her star-studded list of Senate supporters.

Lake also has the support of Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., John Cornyn, R-Texas, Steve Daines, R-Mont., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Mike Lee, R -Utah and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

Lake has also received support from former President Trump, whom she fiercely defended when he claimed the 2020 election was rigged against him.

He repeatedly noted how anomalies in Arizona’s election process kept him out of office for a second consecutive term, and Lake agreed.

However, her support for the former president did not come without cost, as it may have played a role in her narrowly losing the 2022 Arizona governor’s race to Democrat Katie Hobbs.

In January, DailyMail.com revealed that Jeff DeWit, the former chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, had reportedly offered to bribe Lake to stay out of the 2024 Senate race, saying ominously, “There are very powerful people who want to keep out. ‘

DeWit continued, “So the question I got from back east today was, ‘Are there any companies or something that can put her on the payroll to keep her out?’

Lake responded, “This is about beating Trump and I think that’s a bad thing for our country.”

About a day after the DailyMail.com report was published, DeWit resigned from the Arizona Republican Party.