Who is Kari Lake? Everything we know about Donald Trump’s possible running mate

Former president Donald Trump has not yet named his running mate for the 2024 elections, and Axios reported months ago that he was strongly considering a woman for the position.

One of the names that has cropped up is that of former television news anchor Kari Lake, who has been spotted at Mar-a-Lago often, reportedly in a bid to become Trump’s vice-presidential pick

Who is Kari Lake?

Lake was the Republican candidate in the 2022 election for Arizona governor, and was endorsed by the former president. However, she lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs, though she refused to concede. The former host then filed a lawsuit to have the results overturned and have herself declared the winning candidate- a suit which the courts rejected.

Controversies hounded the 53-year-old’s gubernatorial campaign, including propagating false claims that Trump was the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election, and demanding that those who accepted the former president’s defeat be thrown into prison.

Kari Lake’s career in media

Prior to her first foray into politics, Lake had a long career in TV news. She began working in media more than 30 years ago as an intern while she was still studying at the University of Iowa, from which she received a Bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism.

She is best known for her work at KSAZ-TV, the Fox affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona. During her last years working in news, she shared misinformation regarding covid-19 on social media, making her a controversial figure at the station.

Switching political parties

Lake has made the rounds of political affiliations. She was a Republican until 2006, when she registered as an independent. Two years later, she signed up as a Democrat, and supported Barack Obama in 2008. Then in 2012, she went back to registering as a Republican and has been with the party since.