CHANDLER, Arizona – The Maricopa County Republican Committee (MCRC) held a Happy Birthday Party to America party with the election integrity group We the People AZ featuring Kari Lake and her new book. The book, Unafraid: Just Getting Started, was released on June 27. Almost 200 people RSVP’d for the glitzy event, which was held in an airplane hangar at the home of MCRC Chair Craig Berland. Tickets started at $100 each.
Lake gave a speech talking about the book, her election litigation, and plans for Arizona. Attendees received books and had them signed by Lake. Merissa Hamilton, who is heading up a chase the ballot effort for Lake with Save Arizona, registered voters at a table. The hosts provided hot dogs, apple pie, beer, and margaritas.
Lake said she knew she really won the Arizona gubernatorial race last fall because internal polling showed her up 12 points before the election. She revealed that she may be considering some new litigation. Lake said she is not stopping the current litigation over the race, which is on appeal with the Arizona Court of Appeals. “Maricopa County thought we would walk away after that first ruling on Christmas Eve,” she said. Since then, “we’ve found more fraud, and more fraud, and more fraud.”
Lake referred to the problems on Election Day as “diabolical B.S. with printers and tabulators.” She slammed the “fake media” for saying she and other Republicans lost because they “didn’t do a good job.” “We had incredible candidates,” Lake contended, “Do not vote for Republicans who say ‘stop talking about 2020’” and that we’re “living in the past.”
Lake went on, “We have corrupt, rotten, fraudulent elections. … They stole our victory, they stole our government for We the People.” “They thought we would just walk away and be afraid. … I will never stop fighting.”
Regarding her book, Lake said she knew it was going to be “very dark,” comparing it to books by horror author Stephen King due to discussing all the corruption with elections and officials. She said it’s a “page turner” that people won’t want to put down, relaying how Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01) told her he started reading it one night and couldn’t stop, staying up much of the night and finishing it the next day.
Lake said people advised her not to put certain things in her book, but she disregarded their advice and did so anyway. She said that included sections on former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (who co-chaired the campaign of her primary opponent in the gubernatorial race, moderate Republican Karrin Taylor Robson) and the McCains. The shortest chapter in the book was about her very short meeting with former Governor Doug Ducey, who had almost nothing to say to her when she asked him about running for governor.
“We need to start calling out the people who are not with We the People,” Lake declared. She chastised the Republicans who told her not to fight losing the gubernatorial election; “Don’t fight it in court, don’t drag it out.” However, she said “they’re not bad people, they’re just not as strong and brave as the people in this room.” Lake gave a shout out to her attorney Bryan Blehm who was in attendance, stating that her opponents are trying to disbar him.
Lake said she won’t back down, no matter how much her opponents sue her, until there are honest elections. “I was so sad for You the People of Arizona because you did everything right,” she lamented. She went over a similar gubernatorial election in Arizona from 2016, where the candidate who ultimately won challenged his loss for over a year after the election until the Arizona Supreme Court finally ruled that he won and placed him in office. “I am never going to concede,” she said.
Lake ended her speech with a comparison to the Founding Fathers. “The same God who was with the 56 brave men who thought they were signing their death warrants is with us now.” She said what’s happening now is “just as pivotal.”
– – –
Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
