Arizona GOP Senate leader says Kari Lake’s expected US Senate announcement won’t deter him from running

Arizona Senate president pro tempore Thomas Ray “T.J.” Shope is considering a run for U.S. Senate next year.

Shope, a Republican from Coolidge, Arizona, announced on Twitter he is “seriously considering” a bid for the Republican nomination to take on Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., in response to a report that failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has “frozen the Republican field” as she weighs her own decision on whether to run. 

“Hasn’t frozen me,” said Shope, 37. “We need somebody who can actually win in November and that’s why I’m seriously considering this US Senate seat!”

ARIZONA REPUBLICAN KARI LAKE LOSES APPEAL IN GUBERNATORIAL RACE CHALLENGE

Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake speaks to reporters after casting her ballot on Nov. 8, 2022, in Phoenix. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“Alright folks, who’s ready for a candidate who has one foot in rural Arizona roots and another in urban Arizona?” he added in a follow-up tweet. “Let’s have at least one candidate who appeals to all of Arizona because the other two definitely don’t!”

Shope’s tweets came in response to a Washington Post report about Republican Kari Lake’s future political plans. The report said Lake’s expected candidacy for U.S. Senate has “frozen the Republican field.”

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In this combination of photos Arizona gubernatorial candidates, Republican Kari Lake, left, appears before a PBS televised debate on June 29, 2022, in Phoenix and Democrat Katie Hobbs smiles prior to a televised interview in Phoenix, Oct. 18, 2022.  (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Lake, a Trump-endorsed former TV journalist who lost the Arizona gubernatorial election to Democrat Katie Hobbs last year, would be an early front-runner for the GOP senate nomination if she decides to run. 

She lost to Hobbs by more than 17,000 votes in November but refused to concede the race and remains popular with GOP voters.

BLACK CONSERVATIVES RALLY AROUND KARI LAKE FOR REFUSING TO STAND FOR BLACK NATIONAL ANTHEM AT SUPER BOWL

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., is up for re-election in 2024.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Lake unsuccessfully sought to overturn the election results and hold another election, claiming that problems with ballot printers at some polling locations on Election Day were the result of intentional misconduct. However, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected her arguments and said she failed to present evidence that voters whose ballots were unreadable by tabulators at polling places were not able to vote. 

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In response to the ruling, Lake tweeted: “I told you we would take this case all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court, and that’s exactly what we are going to do. Buckle up, America!”

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent, is up for re-election in 2024. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge her after Sinema left the Democratic Party last year.