Donald Trump read the names off a Teleprompter. It was July 2021, and the former President was in Phoenix speaking at a confab where candidates vying for the GOP nomination for Arizona governor hoped to grab his attention. Trump took a moment to recognize the ones who had shown up. First, there was former Congressman Matt Salmon, who drew tepid applause. Then he mentioned Kari Lake. Thousands of fans rose to their feet and began chanting her name. Trump was visibly shocked. “Whoa!” he said, searching for Lake in the audience. “This could be a big night for you.” After Trump finished his speech, he reached out to one of his confidants, wanting to know: Who is Kari Lake?
An anchor for Fox 10 Phoenix until last year, Lake has been a fixture in Arizona homes for more than a quarter of a century. Since then, she’s parlayed what may matter most in today’s GOP—the ability to captivate an audience—into a startling political ascent. Polls show her locked in a dead heat with
