US Senate candidate Kari Lake hosts Back the Blue event in Chandler
U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake shared the stage with Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, and both praised the importance of police in society.
US Senate candidate Kari Lake was on stage on Friday with Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. Lamb was a former Republican rival whom she had called a “total coward” just a few months ago. Now both praised the importance of the police in society.
The next day, Lake’s Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, stood with dozens of other veterans at an aging American Legion base in south Phoenix and thanked him for his years of help.
In different ways, and with no indication yet of how much that support will mean to Arizona voters, Lake and Gallego have rallied the constituencies that support them and that are critical to the message they are selling to the public.
For Lake, that meant an open-air rally in Republican-friendly Chandler on Friday night that drew several hundred people. Their event, under the slogan “Back the Blue,” underscored Lake’s argument that crime, particularly by illegal immigrants, is a major concern and that Lake alone is serious about giving police the support they need.
Gallego, on the other hand, held what he called a “homecoming” of sorts with close friends at a facility built with private funds by Barry Goldwater when the future Republican U.S. senator and 1964 presidential candidate was still on the Phoenix City Council. A few dozen others attended the event, which was another reminder that Gallego is a former Marine who fought in the Iraq War and feels at home among veterans.
“I was very lucky, man, that I didn’t end up in an even more difficult situation,” Gallego said Saturday, pausing emotionally as dozens of veterans stood behind him.
“That’s because I had family, God and these people behind me. But there are too many veterans who are always left behind.”
Ruben Gallego hosts campaign event at his American Legion
U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego stood with dozens of other veterans at an aging American Legion base in south Phoenix and thanked him for his years of help.
With the help of the base’s veterans, he said, Gallego has overcome his post-traumatic stress disorder and made progress in politics.
That’s why, he said, he supported the PACT Act, a measure signed by President Joe Biden to help military personnel exposed to toxic “burn pits.”
Lake, a former news anchor, shared a different experience but acknowledged that police face a difficult job every day. Lake told supporters that last month she participated in a shoot-or-not-shoot simulation that required her to make quick decisions about people.
“This is tough,” Lake said. “They put me in a situation where there was a mass shooting. I walked in, I had my AR and there were shooters everywhere.”
In the simulation, people turn around with weapons, a hostage or, in some cases, a baby in their arms.
“It’s a split second thing. You’re ready to shoot somebody,” Lake said. “You’re ready to shoot, but then you realize it’s not a gun, it’s a baby, and you could so easily make a mistake.”
Lake told her supporters that she was shaking and crying when she finished.
“You guys have to deal with split-second decisions every day,” Lake said. “I love being a police officer so much. I never thought my love and appreciation could get any bigger. That day, it grew tenfold.”
Lake said that despite the requirements, police must not lose their “qualified immunity,” a legal protection that prevents them from being personally sued for acts they commit in the course of their work as police officers.
Gallego voted for a bill that would have removed this provision after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, arguing that it had been “used to protect officers from punishment for misconduct.”
Like others who took the stage for Lake, Lamb mentioned the Sept. 6 death of Phoenix police officer Zane Coolidge, who was shot while responding to a call about a car break-in.
Lamb said the removal of immunity would hinder police work and he sharply criticized Gallego for joining protesters after Floyd’s death.
“Ruben Gallego went out into the streets and marched with people holding ‘Defund the Police’ signs and ACAB signs,” Lamb said, explaining to the crowd that ACAB stands for ‘All Cops Are Bastards.’
Lamb’s presence is intended to bring Republicans together with Lake after his primary campaign. During an online candidate forum in May, Lake called Lamb a “total coward” for not pursuing voter fraud charges after the 2020 and 2022 elections, despite her baseless claims that there was widespread fraud.
Nine of the state’s 14 other county sheriffs later issued a statement condemning Lake for her remark.
Lamb did not address the insult, arguing Friday that Lake has long been a supporter of law enforcement.
The battle for law enforcement support may have reached its peak last month when Gallego received the endorsement of the Arizona Police Association, an organization that supported former President Donald Trump onstage during an appearance in Glendale.
A day after receiving that support, Gallego wrote a letter from his congressional office urging the U.S. Department of Justice to work cooperatively with the Phoenix Police Department after a years-long investigation revealed numerous routine civil rights violations.
Gallego’s event ended quickly and included hugs, jokes and photos with other veterans.
Signa Oliver, an Army veteran, identified Gallego as someone who led people to safety during the siege of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and sharply criticized Lake.
“His opponent couldn’t be more different,” Oliver said. “She doesn’t care about the sanctity of our democracy and our Constitution. She only looks out for herself in her quest for power. She has described herself as ‘Trump in high heels.’ Hold that in your mind for a minute.”
With less than a month to go before the Arizona election, the Senate race is in full swing. Lake and Gallego are running for the Senate seat currently held by outgoing Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona).
Gallego has a lead over Lake in the polls and financially, but in a state where Republicans are likely to once again be the largest voting bloc, few believe that the race is already decided.
Gallego dominates the airwaves with ads on screens across the state. Lake is also on the screens, but these are mostly joint ads with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is sharing costs with her campaign.
