(The Center Square) – Citing a “corrupt machine” keeping her from winning a statewide election in Arizona, Kari Lake says she will not run for public office again.
Lake, who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2024 and governor in 2022, wants to focus on running Voice of America — not the rigors of running for elected office.
“We know the movement that we have in Arizona, and I will never take that for granted. But there is a corrupt machine here that is hellbent on making sure I never hold office,” Lake posted on X. “So, I won’t put my family (and myself) through the torture of running again. I will go to Washington, D.C., return @VOANews to its glory days, and help President Trump Make America Great Again.”
Lake referenced her refusal to accept past election results in the post. She never conceded defeat in the 2022 gubernatorial election. Democrat Katie Hobbs won the race, flipping the governorship from Republican to Democratic.
While Lake thanked her supporters following her loss in the 2024 U.S. Senate race to U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, she has not conceded.
The latest announcement from Lake came days after Trump endorsed Republican Karrin Taylor Robson in the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial election if she runs. Lake defeated Robson in the 2022 gubernatorial Republican primary.
Additionally, Trump announced earlier this month that he picked Lake, a newsroom veteran, to run Voice of America.
“She will be appointed by, and work closely with, our next head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, who I will announce soon, to ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media,” Trump posted to Truth Social earlier this month.
Lake pledged to have Voice of America provide fair news coverage.
“It’s not my job to go in there and make it Trump TV, as I said. But it’s also not our job to go in there and unduly criticize President Trump. I just want to see fair coverage. I think that’s what he wants,” Lake told The Epoch Times in a recent interview.
“When he offered me the job, he didn’t say ‘Go in there and turn it into MAGA TV. He said ‘make sure they’re fair and accurate,'” she added.
Lake worked in news media for about three decades. Most notably, she was an anchor for KSAV-TV in Phoenix from 1999 to 2021.
Voice of America is a federally-funded international broadcast network. The organization provides news coverage for people in countries with limited press freedom.