Kari Lake Declares She Won’t Run for Office Again — Blames ‘Corrupt Machine’ Which is ‘Hellbent’ On Keeping Her Out

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

After two failed statewide campaigns in Arizona, Kari Lake announced she will not launch a third bid for political office.

In a Saturday afternoon post to X, the 2022 gubernatorial candidate and 2024 U.S. Senate candidate railed against a “corrupt machine” in the state which she believes is working against her.

“We know the movement that we have in Arizona, and I will never take that for granted,” Lake wrote. “But there is a corrupt machine here that is hellbent on making sure I never hold office. So, I won’t put my family (and myself) through the torture of running again.”

The comment seemed to be, in part, an allusion to an infamous moment in January 2024 when the now twice-defeated candidate leaked an audio recording of former state party chair Jeff DeWit in which he seemed to ask her to name a price at which she would abandon her 2024 senate bid.

But Arizona voters have now rejected Kari Lake twice. She repeatedly cried voter fraud following her 2022 defeat to Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ). But in 2024, any claims of fraud became impossible to lodge — as Lake not only lost to Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) by more than 2 points, she ran more than 7 points behind President-elect Donald Trump in the state.

On Dec. 11, Trump announced Lake as his pick to become Director of Voice of America — the state media organization funded by the U.S. government. Lake, a former news anchor, said on Saturday she is looking forward to the assignment.

“I will go to Washington, D.C., return [Voice of America] to its glory days, and help President Trump Make America Great Again,” Lake wrote.