EXCLUSIVE — Kari Lake has secured another endorsement from within the House of Representatives, giving her a boost as she seeks to flip control of one of the Senate seats in the swing state of Arizona.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) will endorse Lake for the high-profile Senate race, lauding her as a “voice of sanity” on a number of key matters that will be central to the 2024 election. Among those topics are support for veterans and national security, which are two top priorities for Mast as an Army veteran himself.
“Kari Lake fights like hell and does it to win,” Mast said in a statement first obtained by the Washington Examiner. “America needs her in Washington, D.C., to be a voice of sanity on the issues Arizonans care about the most — boosting jobs, growing our economy, securing the southern border, helping our veterans homeless off the street, and strengthening our national defense.”
Mast is the latest Congress member to throw his support behind Lake’s campaign, just one day after Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) announced he would back her candidacy. The recent endorsements could help boost Lake’s campaign as she enters what is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races of the 2024 cycle.
“Congressman Mast has sacrificed so much for our country, but he never stops working to give back to it,” Lake said. “I am honored to have his endorsement for the United States Senate in Arizona. I look forward to working with him to put America back on track.”
The Senate race in Arizona could be one of Republicans’ best opportunities to seize control of the upper chamber next year. The race is deemed to be a toss-up, with Lake and candidate Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) virtually tied in recent polls.
But those numbers could shift if incumbent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) decides to run for reelection and transforms the contest into a three-way race. Because Sinema decided to leave the Democratic Party, her candidacy could threaten to split the electorate between her and Gallego — leaving a path to victory for Lake.
Recent polling shows Lake leading Gallego by 1 point in a head-to-head race, 46% to 45%, according to a survey conducted by Public Policy Polling. The race shifts slightly when Sinema enters the fray, with Gallego leading Sinema by 1 point, 36% to 35%, and Sinema garnering 17% of the vote.
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There are 34 Senate seats up for grabs in the 2024 election cycle. Of these, Democrats must defend 23, compared to just 11 for Republicans — and nearly all competitive seats are held by Democrats, putting them on the defensive as they try to maintain their slim majority.
Democrats hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, with the advantage of having Vice President Kamala Harris as a tiebreaker vote if needed. As a result, Republicans only need to flip one Senate seat to win the majority should they win back the White House in 2024. If they don’t regain the Oval Office, the party needs to secure two extra Senate seats.