Senate hopeful Kari Lake has received renewed support from an influential Republican who she hopes will soon become her colleague.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced Thursday that he will endorse the former journalist-turned-politician in Arizona’s competitive Senate 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.
“I’m proud to endorse her for the U.S. Senate today.”
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.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced Thursday that he would support Kari Lake’s bid for Senate
Kari Lake previously met with Senate leaders in early March after Sen. Krysten Sinema, I-Ariz., announced she would not seek re-election
Including Cruz, Lake has 19 endorsements from Senate Republicans, including support from nearly all GOP leaders.
“I am honored by Senator Ted Cruz’s endorsement,” Lake said in a statement shared exclusively with DailyMail.com.
“He has been a conservative leader in the Senate, standing up for border security and fiscal responsibility. I look forward to working with him to save our country.”
In his statement of support, Cruz noted Lake’s tough stance on border security and immigration and said the state, which has seen high numbers of illegal border crossings, needs a leader who can handle the task.
“Border states have been on the front lines of Joe Biden’s open border crisis for more than three years. That’s why we need a leader in Arizona who isn’t afraid to stand up and join the fight for a secure border,” he said.
Lake has also received support from former President Donald Trump, who fiercely defended them 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.
And Lake’s current bid for Senate, like her previous run, has produced fireworks.
In January, DailyMail.com revealed that Jeff DeWit, the former chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, offered to bribe Lake to stay out of the 2024 Senate race, saying ominously: “There are very powerful people who want to keep you 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 Republican Party of Arizona.
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., (Left) endorsed Lake in October 2023
Now the Republican firebrand wants to replace retiring Sen. Krysten Sinema, I-Ariz., who announced earlier this month that she would not seek re-election.
The 47-year-old Independent, who left the Democrats in 2022 and is a moderate in the Senate, warned that America is choosing “anger and division” instead of working together in a video announcing her retirement.
Lake’s likely opponent in the race, Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is a Navy veteran who has served in the House of Representatives since 2015.
An Emerson College Polling/The Hill poll released Wednesday found that 40 percent of Arizona voters supported Lake, while 44 percent supported Gallego.
The same survey found that as many as 16 percent of voters are still undecided.