Kari Lake mimics Mark Finchem's antisemitic denial of antisemitism

Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for Arizona governor, doesn’t like it when someone points out her campaign’s thinly cloaked antisemitic rants, some of which are aimed at her opponent, Democrat Katie Hobbs, while others are posted, seemingly, just for fun.

But they are what they are.

Lake, like her kooky conspiracy cohort Mark Finchem, the Republican candidate for Arizona secretary of state, is constantly bringing up the name of George Soros, which she knows is a Jew-hating dog whistle for the antisemitic base of the Trump-controlled GOP.

Last week, as part of a column about Lake, I noted Finchem’s latest antisemitic trope.

He published a tweet reading, “Democrat politicians on the ballot in Arizona are liars and deceivers. They want total control over you and our state. Their loyalty is to George Soros and Mike Bloomberg. They want Arizona to be like California. Do not be deceived.”

Antisemitic tropes are a campaign strategy

In response, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix, tweeted,  “@RealMarkFinchem: your reliance on #antisemitic tropes to spearhead your campaign is an embarrassment to the majority of #Arizona residents.”

He’s not alone.

Using antisemitic tropes is the strategy of the entire top end of the Arizona GOP’s slate of candidates.

Lake’s “war room” seems irritated when this is pointed out, tweeting recently, “George Soros is currently funding radical candidates like @katiehobbs & @krismayes. The media needs to stop using Soro's religion as an excuse for the poor quality of his character. Soros isn’t awful because of his religion. He’s awful because he’s pro-crime & open borders.”

My, my.

Touchy, aren’t we?

Lake knows that Hobbs and Mayes and other Democratic candidates get their campaign donations from hundreds of different individuals, as do many other candidates, both Republicans and Democrats.

Why mention George Soros so often?

But the name that keeps coming up in Lake’s tweets, and those of Finchem and others (like Wendy Rogers) is … Soros. With an occasional Bloomberg tossed in.

That’s because candidates like Lake and Finchem are counting on the support of a xenophobic, antisemitic base.

Echoing Trump: Kari Lake calls immigrants 'rapists'

That’s also why Lake recently mimicked Donald Trump, telling a campaign gathering, “The media might have a field day with this one, but I’m just going to repeat something President Trump said a long time ago and it got him into a lot of trouble. They are bringing drugs. They are bringing crime. And they are rapists and that’s who’s coming across our border. That’s a fact.”

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters holds a similar view, speaking of an “invasion” on the border and espousing the racist “replacement theory.”

Kari Lake's friends say a lot about her

When the white supremacists marched in Charlottesville, Va., they chanted “Jews will not replace us,” and “You will not replace us.” Remember how Trump said there were “very fine people” on both sides of that horror show?

On its website the Jewish Defense League says, “Since many white supremacists, particularly those in the United States, blame Jews for non-white immigration to the U.S. the replacement theory is now associated with antisemitism.

It’s not just using the Soros trope over and over again, either. Lake endorsed a virulent antisemitic candidate for the Oklahoma Legislature, Jarrin Jackson. She only withdrew the endorsement when her support for Jackson made the news.

However, her pals Mark Finchem and Wendy Rogers held firm in support Jackson. Just as Lake has held firm in supporting them.

So, as I’ve said before, it all goes back to a wise old saying you probably heard from your parents or a teacher or a coach. Something that puts situations like this in plain English. It goes:

“Show me your friends and I’ll show you who you are.”

Reach Montini at [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kari Lake makes an antisemitic denial of antisemitism