Challenges in the Life of Kari Lake in a Detailed Timeline

Resilience and perseverance in the journey of Kari Lake. A timeline of obstacles and growth.

Kari Lake is an American political figure and former television news anchor. She served as the special advisor to the United States Agency for Global Media starting in 2025. Lake was the Republican Party nominee for the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election and the 2024 United States Senate election in Arizona, but was unsuccessful in both bids.

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Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

2020: Voter signatures posted from 2020 election

In January 2023, Lake posted on Twitter 16 voter signatures, mostly from 2020, suggesting that these were from illegal ballots because the signatures did not match.

November 14, 2022: Narrow Loss Projected

On November 14, 2022, multiple media outlets projected that Kari Lake had narrowly lost the gubernatorial election to Katie Hobbs, to which Lake responded with "Arizonans know BS when they see it."

December 2022: Lake Self-Identifies as "Proud Election Denying Deplorable"

In December 2022, Lake self-identified as a "proud election denying deplorable."

2022: Unsuccessful Gubernatorial Run

In 2022, Kari Lake was the unsuccessful Republican Party nominee in the Arizona gubernatorial election.

2022: False claim about 2022 Arizona elections

In January 2023, Lake posted a false claim that almost 250,000 voting attempts failed during the 2022 Arizona elections, without proving that the votes were not counted.

2022: Richer Sues Lake for Defamation Over 2022 Election Claims

In June 2023, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer sued Lake for defamation, alleging that Lake had defamed him by repeatedly accusing him of intentionally sabotaging the 2022 election by printing wrong-sized ballots and injecting 300,000 illegal votes into the Maricopa County vote count.

January 2023: Analysis of Election Data by Audit Guys

In January 2023, an analysis by the Audit Guys found that over 33,000 Republican voters in Maricopa County voted for Hobbs instead of Lake, and nearly 6,000 Republican leaning voters did not vote in the gubernatorial election or wrote in another candidate instead of Lake. The analysis also found that Lake received fewer than 6,000 votes from Democrat-leaning voters in Maricopa County.

January 2023: Lake Posts Voter Signatures on Twitter

Later in January 2023, Lake posted 16 voter signatures on Twitter, mostly from 2020, suggesting that these were from illegal ballots. She also posted a false claim that almost 250,000 voting attempts failed during the 2022 Arizona elections.

February 2023: Associated Press Survey of Arizona Voters

In February 2023, the Associated Press reported that a survey of over 3,200 voters estimated that 11% of Arizona Republicans voted for Hobbs, while 4% of Arizona Democrats voted for Lake.

February 16, 2023: Lake's Appeal Rejected by Arizona Court of Appeals

On February 16, 2023, a three-judge panel of the Arizona Court of Appeals unanimously rejected Lake's appeal.

March 22, 2023: Arizona Supreme Court Denies Lake's Request to Hear Lawsuit

On March 22, 2023, the Arizona Supreme Court denied Lake's request to hear her lawsuit, ruling that the lower courts had correctly dismissed six of Lake's seven legal claims and remanded the remaining claim to the trial court.

May 22, 2023: Judge Rules Against Lake in Remaining Claim

On May 22, 2023, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ruled against Lake for her remaining claim, re-affirming Hobbs' election.

June 2023: Stephen Richer Sues Lake for Defamation

In June 2023, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer sued Lake for defamation, alleging that she repeatedly accused him of sabotaging the 2022 election.

November 2023: Court Rules Against Lake

In November 2023, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah ruled against Kari Lake, stating that releasing voters' personal information would bring a significant risk of voter fraud, harassment, and identity theft, potentially discouraging voting.

December 2023: Lake's Motion to Dismiss Defamation Suit Denied

In December 2023, a Maricopa County judge denied Lake's motion to dismiss the defamation suit, ruling that her statements were not rhetorical hyperbole.

March 2024: Lake Abandons Appeal

In March 2024, Kari Lake decided to abandon her appeal of Judge Hannah's ruling in the Maricopa County ballot affidavit case.

November 2024: Lake Defeated in General Election

In November 2024, Kari Lake was defeated by Democratic nominee Ruben Gallego in the general election, receiving approximately 80,000 fewer votes. Simultaneously, Donald Trump was winning in Arizona by almost 6%.

2024: Unsuccessful Senate Run

In 2024, Kari Lake was the unsuccessful Republican Party nominee in the United States Senate election in Arizona.

2024: Lake's Appeal Rejected in Defamation Case

In 2024, the Arizona Court of Appeals and the Arizona Supreme Court both rejected Lake's appeal, clearing the way for a trial in the defamation case with Stephen Richer.