Kari Lake's old-guard Republican apology tour ain't working

For the past couple of months Kari Lake has been trying to doggie-paddle across the dark waters next to all the bridges she burned. It’s a rough current, however, and it’s looking like her campaign could drown before reaching the other side.

The New York Times produced an article in March about Lake, the failed Arizona governor candidate now running for U.S. Senate, trying to make nice with some of the old guard Republicans she gleefully mocked for several years.

People like former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, one-time rivals Karrin Taylor Robson and former U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon. Even Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late-Sen. John McCain, whom Lake viciously derided.

Lake has met with national GOP stalwarts as well, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whom Lake has called an “old bat” who needed to be replaced. She also publicly questioned McConnell’s mental fitness.

McConnell doesn't mention Lake. Ouch

Lake now supposedly says she’d support him if elected.

The former TV news reader is learning, however, that it’s not simple or painless to remove the knives stabbed into another’s back.

McConnell was asked about states where he thought the GOP had good chances of winning U.S. Senate seats in the November election.

He told Politico, “You take polls around Labor Day and begin to decide where you’re going to play ... where we’re going to play for sure right now: Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland.”

Kari Lake: Is proving wildly popular in Florida

When the Politico writer, Burgess Everett, was asked if McConnell had mentioned Arizona, he posted on X, formerly Twitter, that McConnell told him, “You don’t know in April who might be able to win. You’ve got a quality candidate we think in Wisconsin, a quality candidate in Nevada who’s got a tough primary apparently. And who knows about Arizona?

Ouch.

That ain’t even swimming. That’s treading water.

Reach Montini at [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kari Lake tries butter up old-guard Republicans. It's not working