History of Kari Lake in Timeline
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.
August 23, 1969: Kari Lake Born
On August 23, 1969, Kari Lake Halperin was born. She is an American political figure and former television news anchor.
1969: Born in Illinois
In 1969, Kari Lake was born in Rock Island, Illinois, to Larry and Sheila Lake.
May 1991: Intern at KWQC-TV
In May 1991, Kari Lake began working as an intern at KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa.
1992: Reporter and Weathercaster
In 1992, Kari Lake became a daily reporter and weekend weathercaster at WHBF-TV in Rock Island.
August 1994: Hired by KPNX
In August 1994, Kari Lake was hired by KPNX in Phoenix, Arizona, as the weekend weather anchor.
August 1998: Marriage to Jeff Halperin
In August 1998, Kari Lake married Jeff Halperin. They have two children together.
1998: Moved to WNYT
In the summer of 1998, Kari Lake relocated to work for WNYT in Albany, New York, replacing Chris Kapostasy.
1999: Anchor at KSAZ-TV
In 1999, Kari Lake became the anchor for the Phoenix television station KSAZ-TV.
1999: Returned to Arizona
In 1999, Kari Lake returned to Arizona and became an evening anchor for KSAZ-TV (Fox 10 Phoenix).
2004: Supported John Kerry
In 2004, Kari Lake supported John Kerry in the presidential election.
November 3, 2006: Changed Registration to Independent
On November 3, 2006, Kari Lake changed her registration from Republican to independent.
January 4, 2008: Registered as a Democrat
On January 4, 2008, Kari Lake registered as a Democrat after the Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses were won by Obama.
January 31, 2012: Returned to Republican Party
On January 31, 2012, Kari Lake returned to being a Republican.
2015: Identified as Buddhist
Before 2015, according to her friends, Kari Lake identified as a Buddhist.
2015: Supports Gender Transition Rights
In 2015, Kari Lake stated on social media that she supported an adult's and young person's right to gender transition, but later reversed that position.
2016: Interviewed Barack Obama
In 2016, Kari Lake interviewed President Barack Obama while at KSAZ-TV.
2017: Facebook Post
Nine days before the 2017 inauguration of Donald Trump, Lake had posted a meme on Facebook that declared the inauguration a "national day of mourning and protest", in which she asked her followers how they would react to Trump's inauguration.
2018: Opposed Red for Ed Movement
In 2018, Kari Lake opposed the Red for Ed movement, claiming it was a "big push to legalize pot," and later apologized.
July 2019: Promoted Parler account
In July 2019, Kari Lake was caught on "hot mic" footage promoting her account on the web platform Parler.
April 2020: Shared COVID-19 Misinformation
In April 2020, Kari Lake shared COVID-19 misinformation on Twitter and Facebook.
2020: Election fraud claims
During Kari Lake's candidacy Trump endorsed her, as did pro-Trump Republican figures. She attended events headed by My Pillow founder Mike Lindell, a prominent promoter of false claims regarding fraud in the 2020 election.
2020: Interviewed Donald Trump
In 2020, Kari Lake interviewed President Donald Trump while at KSAZ-TV.
2020: Promoted False Election Claims
In 2020, Kari Lake promoted false claims that Trump won the presidential election.
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.
2020: Claimed Election Was Stolen
Throughout her campaign, Kari Lake had been a leading proponent of the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" from Trump.
March 2021: Departure from KSAZ
In March 2021, Kari Lake announced her departure from KSAZ, a day after a video clip of her at CPAC was published, questioning her role as a journalist.
June 2021: Announced Gubernatorial Campaign
In June 2021, Kari Lake announced her campaign for governor of Arizona.
June 2021: Filed for Republican Nomination
In June 2021, Kari Lake filed paperwork to seek the Republican nomination for governor of Arizona in the 2022 election.
August 2021: Led Anti-Mask Rallies
In August 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kari Lake led anti-mask rallies and called on Arizona State University students to go against the university's mask mandates.
September 2021: Received Trump's Endorsement
In September 2021, Kari Lake received Donald Trump's endorsement in her campaign for governor.
November 2021: Took Hydroxychloroquine
In November 2021, Kari Lake told a group of Republican retirees that she was taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19 infection.
2021: Cited Trump and Reagan as Precedent
After launching her campaign for governor in 2021, Kari Lake cited Trump, Ronald Reagan, and Kelli Ward as precedent for her party-switching.
2021: Demanded Election Decertification
After the 2021 Maricopa County presidential ballot audit found no evidence of election fraud, Kari Lake demanded the election be "decertified."
2021: Campaign Endorsements and Election Claims
During her 2021 campaign for governor, Kari Lake said that she would not have certified Biden's 2020 election victory in Arizona if she had been governor at the time.
2021: Stepped down from KSAZ-TV
In 2021, Kari Lake stepped down from her anchor role at KSAZ-TV shortly before announcing her gubernatorial candidacy.
April 2022: Lake and Finchem Sue State Officials to Ban Electronic Voting Machines
In April 2022, Lake and Mark Finchem sued state officials, seeking to ban electronic voting machines from being used in her 2022 election.
June 2022: Baseless Election Claims
During a June 2022 debate among candidates for the Republican nomination, Kari Lake continued to make baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" and "corrupt".
June 2022: Praises Supreme Court Decision
In June 2022, Kari Lake praised the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
July 2022: Facebook Post Controversy
In July 2022, Fox News reported that nine days before the 2017 inauguration of Donald Trump, Kari Lake had posted a meme on Facebook that declared the inauguration a "national day of mourning and protest".
August 2, 2022: Won Republican Primary
On August 2, 2022, Kari Lake won the Republican primary in Arizona.
August 2022: Lawsuit to Ban Electronic Voting Machines Dismissed
In August 2022, U.S. District Judge John Tuchi dismissed the suit filed by Lake and Finchem, writing that they lacked standing.
September 2022: Attended Gubernatorial Forum
In September 2022, Kari Lake and Katie Hobbs both attended a gubernatorial candidate forum held by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where they separately answered questions.
October 2022: Appeal to Ban Electronic Voting Machines Rejected
In October 2022, Finchem and Lake's appeal, aimed at banning electronic voting machines, was rejected by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
October 2022: Refused to Commit to Accepting Election Result
In October 2022, Kari Lake twice refused to say that she would accept the result if she lost the election, stating, "I'm going to win the election, and I will accept that result."
November 7, 2022: Report of Suspicious White Powder
On November 7, 2022, Kari Lake's campaign stated that on November 6, a campaign staffer opened an envelope delivered to their office that contained suspicious white powder.
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 9, 2022: Lake Files Suit Seeking to Overturn Election Results
On December 9, 2022, after Arizona certified the election results, Lake filed a new suit in state court, seeking a court order to either overturn Hobbs' victory and declare Lake as the winner of the election, or redo the election in Maricopa County.
December 15, 2022: Honoree at Spirit of Lincoln Gala
After her election loss, Kari Lake was listed as an honoree and presenter at Mar-a-Lago for the December 15, 2022, "Spirit of Lincoln Gala," an event held by the Log Cabin Republicans, a political action committee for LGBTQ Republicans.
December 2022: Lake's Lawyers Sanctioned for False Assertions in Lawsuit
In December 2022, Judge Tuchi sanctioned Lake's lawyers, including Alan Dershowitz, for making false, misleading, and unsupported assertions during the case, and ordered the plaintiffs to pay the defendants' attorney fees for roughly $122,000.
December 2022: Lake Self-Identifies as "Proud Election Denying Deplorable"
In December 2022, Lake self-identified as a "proud election denying deplorable."
December 2022: Lake's Advisers Start Non-Profit Fundraising Group
Lake's campaign raised $2.6 million from Election Day until the end of 2022, while taking in even more money from a non-profit fundraising group started by Lake's advisers in December 2022.
2022: Identifies as Evangelical Christian
As of 2022, Kari Lake identifies as an Evangelical Christian.
2022: Gubernatorial Campaign
In 2022, Kari Lake had run a gubernatorial campaign with a 'fire-and-brimstone approach'
2022: Identifies as Trump Candidate
In 2022, Kari Lake identified as a conservative Republican, describing herself as a "Trump candidate" and accusing President Joe Biden and Democrats of harboring a "demonic agenda".
2022: Sought Republican Nomination
In 2022, Kari Lake sought the Republican nomination for governor of Arizona.
2022: Unsuccessful Gubernatorial Run
In 2022, Kari Lake was the unsuccessful Republican Party nominee in the Arizona gubernatorial election.
2022: Independent Investigation into 2022 Election's Printing Problems
In April 2023, an independent investigation into the 2022 election's printing problems was published; the investigation was led by a retired chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court, Ruth McGregor, who concluded that "the primary cause of the election day failures was equipment failure".
2022: Lake Questioned About 2022 Election Claims
In February 2024, Lake was questioned about her claims about the 2022 gubernatorial election, to which she replied: "I don't know who exactly stole the election, but there are a lot of people who are running elections poorly, and we've seen the results."
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.
2022: Lake Appeals to Arizona Supreme Court
In November 2024, the Arizona Supreme Court declined to hear Lake's appeal, ensuring that the lower courts' rulings were maintained, which ended Lake's legal challenge against the 2022 result regarding her loss to Hobbs in 2022.
January 2, 2023: Hobbs Sworn in as Governor
On January 2, 2023, Hobbs was sworn in as governor.
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.
January 2023: Arizona Mirror Finds Little Funds Raised by Lake Paid to Lawyers
The Arizona Mirror found in January 2023 that less than 10% of the funds raised by Lake after the election were paid to lawyers, despite Lake claiming that the funds were meant for contesting election results.
February 2023: Non-Profit Fundraising Group Becomes Lake's Main Outlet
By February 2023, the non-profit fundraising group started by Lake's advisers became Lake's main fundraising outlet.
February 2023: Comments on Election Fairness
In February 2023, Kari Lake expressed her belief that Republicans would hold numerous positions if elections were fair.
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 2023: Lake and DeWit Conversation
In March 2023, a recording of a conversation between Kari Lake and Jeff DeWit was published, where DeWit suggested Lake pause her political aspirations in exchange for financial incentives from powerful people.
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.
April 2023: Lake Sues Maricopa County Recorder
In April 2023, Kari Lake initiated a lawsuit against Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, seeking the release of 1.3 million ballot affidavit envelopes, which contained voters' signatures, names, addresses, and phone numbers.
April 2023: Publication of Independent Investigation into 2022 Election Problems
In April 2023, the results of an independent investigation into the 2022 election's printing problems were published. The investigation concluded that the primary cause was equipment failure.
May 2023: Arizona Supreme Court Sanctions Lake's Lawyers
In May 2023, the Arizona Supreme Court imposed a $2,000 fine on Lake's lawyers for making false factual statements to the 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.
July 2023: Arizona Supreme Court Denies Lake's Motion
In July 2023, the Arizona Supreme Court denied Lake's motion to appeal directly to them, citing "no good cause" for Lake to skip appealing to the Arizona Court of Appeals.
September 2023: Maricopa County Trial
In September 2023, the trial for Kari Lake's lawsuit against Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer took place.
October 10, 2023: Lake Announces Senate Candidacy
On October 10, 2023, Kari Lake announced her candidacy for the 2024 United States Senate election in Arizona.
October 2023: Announced Senate Candidacy
In October 2023, Kari Lake announced her candidacy for the 2024 United States Senate election in Arizona.
November 2023: Reaffirms Support for Abortion Ban
In November 2023, Kari Lake reaffirmed her support for the 1864 abortion ban in Arizona.
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.
November 2023: Lake Shifts Political Approach
In November 2023, reports indicated that Kari Lake had adopted a more diplomatic approach compared to her gubernatorial campaign, seeking to mend relationships with Republicans she had previously criticized.
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.
January 2024: Lake Calls for DeWit's Resignation
In January 2024, Kari Lake publicly called for Arizona Republican Party chair Jeff DeWit to resign, accusing him of being corrupt. DeWit resigned a day later.
February 2024: Lake Speaks at CPAC
In February 2024, Kari Lake spoke at CPAC, expressing her preference for "alpha men" over "beta men."
February 2024: Lake Questioned About 2022 Election Claims
In February 2024, Lake was questioned about her claims about the 2022 gubernatorial election, replying that she didn't know who stole the election, but that many people were running elections poorly.
March 2024: Appeal to Supreme Court
In March 2024, Finchem and Lake appealed to the United States Supreme Court, seeking to ban electronic voting machines.
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.
March 2024: Lake Requests Hearing for Default Judgment Against Herself
In March 2024, Lake requested a hearing for a default judgment against herself in the defamation case, deciding not to contest the defamation claim.
March 2024: Lake Denounces Anti-Abortion Law
In early 2024, Kari Lake shifted her position and in a March 2024 interview, she denounced the 1864 anti-abortion law.
April 11, 2024: Lake Comments on Arizona Abortion Law
On April 11, 2024, after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in favor of enforcing the 1864 territorial law, Kari Lake stated the law was "out of step with Arizonans" and urged legislators to find a common-sense solution, describing abortion as "a personal and private issue."
April 2024: Supreme Court Rejects Lawsuit
In April 2024, the United States Supreme Court rejected Finchem and Lake's lawsuit, which aimed to ban electronic voting machines.
April 20, 2024: Lake Changes Position on Abortion Law Again
On April 20, 2024, Kari Lake returned to her earlier position of supporting the 1864 abortion law, after officials indicated they would not prosecute offenders. Lake commented that "We don't have that law, as much as many of us wish we did."
June 2024: Ninth Circuit Denies Appeal
In June 2024, Finchem and Lake appealed again to the Ninth Circuit, which tersely denied the appeal to ban electronic voting machines.
June 2024: Lake's Appeal Rejected by Arizona Court of Appeals
Lake's appeal was rejected by the Arizona Court of Appeals in June 2024, with Judge Sean Brearcliffe stating that Lake had claimed "8,000 uncounted votes", but this could not overcome her loss margin of over 17,000 votes to Hobbs, and while Lake claimed she had new evidence to present, Brearcliffe found that she already possessed the evidence previously, but did not "analyze" it.
July 2024: Won Republican Nomination
In July 2024, Kari Lake won the Republican nomination for the United States Senate election in Arizona.
July 2024: Lake Appeals to Arizona Supreme Court
In July 2024, Lake appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court regarding her loss to Hobbs in the 2022 election.
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%.
November 2024: Arizona Supreme Court Declines to Hear Lake's Appeal
In November 2024, the Arizona Supreme Court declined to hear Lake's appeal, ensuring that the lower courts' rulings were maintained, which ended Lake's legal challenge against the 2022 result.
November 2024: Settlement in Defamation Case
In November 2024, the court stated that Lake and Richer had settled the defamation case.
December 2024: Potential Voice of America Director Appointment
In December 2024, President-elect Trump wanted Kari Lake to be appointed as the next director of Voice of America.
2024: Trump Indicates Lake as Voice of America Choice
In 2024, Donald Trump had indicated Kari Lake as his choice to lead the Voice of America.
2024: Senate Candidacy
In 2024, Kari Lake was a candidate for the United States Senate election in Arizona.
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.
2024: Log Cabin Republicans Endorse Lake
In 2024, the Log Cabin Republicans endorsed Kari Lake's Senate campaign.
March 3, 2025: Sworn in as Special Advisor
On March 3, 2025, Kari Lake was sworn in as a special advisor to the United States Agency for Global Media.
2025: Special Advisor Appointment
In 2025, Kari Lake served as the special advisor to the United States Agency for Global Media under President Donald Trump.
2025: Lake Appointed as Special Advisor
In early 2025, the U.S. Agency for Global Media announced that Kari Lake would serve as a special advisor.
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