Kari Lake Stung by Group That Backs Donald Trump

A police union that backs Donald Trump has endorsed Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego’s U.S. Senate bid over Republican Kari Lake in Arizona.
Lake, a Trump loyalist who is trailing Gallego by a significant margin in the polls, received another round of bad news on Monday when the Arizona Police Association announced in a news release that it was endorsing her rival.
On Friday, APA President Justin Harris appeared on stage with Trump to endorse the former president in person at a campaign rally in Phoenix, where Lake also made an appearance.
In response to Newsweek’s request for comment on Monday’s endorsement, a Lake spokesperson claimed that Gallego “supported defunding the police” and cited several other Arizona law enforcement groups and officials who back Lake.
“Ruben Gallego supported defunding the police and vilified law enforcement while serving in Congress,” the spokesperson said. “He supports open borders and is weak on crime. Kari Lake will always back the blue and support law enforcement and safe communities.”
APA praised Gallego on Monday for supporting increased police funding and pro-police legislation, including bills that offer mental health resources for officers and for families of officers who died by suicide after suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“As a Marine combat veteran, we know Congressman Gallego understands the complexities of modern policing in American society today, while at the same time recognizing the public’s expectations,” Harris said in a statement.
“The APA does not take our endorsements lightly; we recognize the importance of having a U.S. senator that can bring people together to improve society for
all,” he added. “We believe Congressman Gallego will be that U.S. Senator.”
During a roughly 11-minute speech endorsing Trump at Desert Diamond Arena on Friday, Harris was seemingly rushed off the stage by the former president. Trump, who was looming over Harris’ shoulder as he spoke, said “We gotta go” about one minute before the speech concluded.
Gallego said in a statement that he was “committed to working together” with the APA and touted that he and the union had “taken meaningful steps towards both practical reforms and increased resources—with both community and officer safety as our number one goal.”
“I am proud to have the APA’s support and look forward to working with them in the Senate to ensure Arizona’s law enforcement officers have the resources necessary to combat fentanyl trafficking, train the next generation of officers, and, above all, keep Arizona families safe,” said Gallego.
The decision by the APA, Arizona’s largest police association, to back Gallego instead of Lake represents a significant blow to the Republican, who has attempted to portray herself as tougher on crime than her Democrat opponent.
Lake is also known for closely associating herself with Trump’s false claims of a “stolen” 2020 election, having made similar false claims about her own loss to Democratic Arizona Governor Kate Hobbs in 2022.
Update 08/27/24 4:58 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.