Senate hopeful Mark Lamb touts conservative credentials after rival Kari Lake skips debate

U.S. Senate candidate Mark Lamb cast himself as showing up for “a job interview” on Wednesday in an implicit rebuke of rival Kari Lake’s decision not to do so for what was intended as a Republican primary debate.

The Pinal County sheriff cited his experience as the needed background in the Senate to address crime problems stemming from illegal immigration, which he said is properly described as an “invasion.”

Lamb staked out decidedly conservative views of crime, the economy and abortion rights, but closed his 30-minute appearance with a reminder that independents are able to participate in the Republican primary he hopes to win. The event was organized by the nonpartisan Citizens Clean Elections Commission.

“My presence here should tell the people of Arizona I want this job, that it’s important enough for me to come here and show you the respect that you deserve here in Arizona,” Lamb said. “When you’re interviewing for a job, if you don’t show up, I don’t know any company that’s going to hire you.”

He did not mention Lake by name, though he did call Rep. Ruben Gallego, the only Democrat in the race, a “rubber stamp” for President Joe Biden and his agenda. Lamb, Lake and Gallego are running for the seat held by the retiring U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.

Lamb pitched himself as he often does as a "proven conservative fighter."

He said crime, especially the flow of fentanyl, is a problem enabled by Biden’s intentional opening of the southern border.

Asked whether the problems he sees from the border are incompetence or something more subversive, Lamb hinted at a version of the Great Replacement theory that suggests Democrats want the electoral support from illegal immigrants. It is a popular trope among white nationalists and often invoked by Lake as well.

“I think there’s a real push for globalism. I also think that you are now seeing the movement toward allowing people to vote that are not citizens of this country,” Lamb said. “You are also undermining the rule of law.”

Lamb said he believes that life begins at conception and supports the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that erased federal abortion rights. He favors leaving the matter to the states and opposes a possible Arizona ballot measure guaranteeing abortion rights.

He acknowledged his view isn’t popular with everyone, but he hopes people won’t act as “single-issue voters” over abortion rights.

Lamb blamed Biden for the spike in inflation that happened when he took office and challenged economic data showing the rate of inflation has slowed. His top economic policy would be to pursue “energy independence” through stepped-up production of fossil fuels as well as alternative energy sources competing in the free market.

Lamb blasted Biden for wars between other countries and forces across the globe. He specifically cited the withdrawal from Afghanistan as an early disaster and sees support for Ukraine as wasted money and an increasingly emboldened China threatening Taiwan.

“I don’t think we should be sending any money to Ukraine. We should have never sent it,” he said. “We need to support Israel. They are our friends, and the way you support them is not necessarily through cash; I’ve said that. We’re broke. We’re $34.6 trillion in debt.”

Lamb bristled at questions about whether the 2020 or 2022 elections were stolen, as Lake and Trump have maintained. Lamb underscored his view that fraud happens regularly, though he has testified to Congress that he didn’t have evidence of it in his jurisdiction.

“The media loves to do this,” Lamb said. “Look, there’s fraud in every election. I’m here to tell you, folks, anybody who tells you that I don’t think there’s fraud in an election, they’re lying. They’re just lying, and you should question what they’re telling you at that point."

Lake drew the ire of some in law enforcement last month during an online forum with Lamb when she called him a “total coward” on the issue of election integrity.

“There’s not many people who have the ability to fight. I took every hit fighting for security in our elections,” Lake said. “Sheriffs have the ability to fight, and the sheriff of Pinal County cowered. He’s a total coward when it comes to election integrity.”

It alluded to Lamb’s February 2023 testimony to Congress that included a question of whether there was “fraud that had a material impact on the 2020 election.” Lamb said he had seen “zero evidence” of that, and later explained that he meant that he could only speak for his county.

Lake’s comment prompted nine of Arizona’s 14 other sheriffs to condemn her words as “unfounded and disrespectful.”

On Wednesday, Lamb called the prosecution of Trump “lawfare.”

Lake is viewed as the Republican front-runner in the race. The former Phoenix newscaster entered the race in October with the formal endorsement of former President Donald Trump and regularly commands media attention.

Lake’s absence at the debate spared her the risk of giving Lamb a chance to close ground on her, Mitchell McKinney, a professor of political communication at the University of Akron, said ahead of the event.

“It sounds like Kari Lake is utilizing the Donald Trump playbook. … That’s exactly what Donald Trump did in the Republican presidential primary race,” said McKinney, who has been a consultant to the Commission on Presidential Debates. “I don’t think the challenger is going to have any opportunity to do much damage.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: With Kari Lake out of debate, can Mark Lamb make impression?