Newly elected President Donald Trump’s choice of longtime loyalist Kari Lake to lead Voice of America is causing some Arizona Republicans to breathe a sigh of relief.
Lake has dominated Republican politics in Arizona over the past two election cycles, leading and losing back-to-back races for governor and Senate — and earning her the ire of some of her fellow conservatives in the state. Some Arizona Republicans were already skeptical about her political future in the state given the losses, even though her name had been floated for both Republican Party chairman and Arizona secretary of state.
This decision now virtually removes her from those conversations, leaving room for other Republicans, like Karrin Taylor Robson, who fought Lake in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary but came in second, to come to the fore.
“If you’re a loser twice and did worse the second time, that’s an indication that voters may not want you,” said Barrett Marson, a Republican strategist in Arizona. “I think it frees up space for the conservative but normal wing of the Republican Party in Arizona.”
Robson has been floated as a likely Republican candidate for governor, and there was some uncertainty about whether Lake would be interested in a rematch.
“As the 2026 governor’s field comes into focus on the Republican side, the big question mark has been: What will Kari Lake do? … This at least partially answers that question and takes a pretty big potential name off the chessboard, at least for now,” said a Republican strategist in Arizona, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the dynamic. “She’s certainly a name. She has been a Republican candidate twice. It’s safe to say she would have been formidable. It’s, I think, a pretty big deal in terms of how the race will go.”
Still, Lake, who has a robust social media presence and following among the MAGA crowd, is expected to remain a major presence in Arizona GOP politics. Multiple Republican political operatives in the state said that if Lake had run for chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, she likely would have won.
Lake’s name had also been put forward for U.S. ambassador to Mexico, a post that ultimately went to former U.S. ambassador to El Salvador Ronald Johnson. Johnson is a Green Beret who spent more than two decades in the CIA and brings significant foreign policy experience.
At the federally funded broadcaster Voice of America, Lake will lead a $267 million agency that broadcasts in more than 40 languages to a global audience of more than 354 million people. Lake has more than three decades of experience in news broadcasting, including 22 years at the Fox affiliate in Phoenix.
The director of Voice of America will be officially appointed by the head of the US Global Media Agency, a Senate-confirmed position that Trump has yet to appoint. The VOA director needs majority support from a seven-member advisory board of presidential candidates, who require Senate confirmation.
Trump’s previous choice to lead the Agency for Global Media, Michael Pack, was accused of using his position to amplify the Trump administration’s message. The findings of a federal investigation released last year found that Pack abused his power to sideline executives he believed were insufficiently supportive of Trump, engaging in gross mismanagement and violating laws and regulations in the process.
In a post on Truth Social, Lake said she was “honored” that Trump asked her to lead Voice of America, which she called “an essential international media outlet dedicated to advancing the interests of the United States by engaging directly to connect with people all over the world. and promoting democracy and truth.”
“Under my leadership, VOA will excel in its mission of documenting America’s achievements around the world,” Lake said.
A person close to Lake, who was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the appointment, said the position will provide Lake “the perfect platform to share America’s story and bring the truth to people around the world.” to continue telling the world.”
“After a three-decade career as a trusted journalist and news anchor, she courageously walked away from mainstream media,” the person said. “Kari’s decision refused to compromise her principles or push Fake News and inspired countless Americans to seek the truth in a world of increasing misinformation.”
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Lake would work “to ensure that America’s values of liberty and freedom are broadcast FAIRLY and ACCURATELY around the world, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media,” and called her a “news media favorite.” Anchoring in Arizona.”
Lake is one of several candidates who have demonstrated the challenges of running a “Make America Great Again” platform without Trump’s name. In addition to Lake, MAGA-focused gubernatorial candidates Doug Mastriano and Tudor Dixon lost their respective 2022 gubernatorial bids in Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Lake repeatedly falsely claimed that Trump won the 2020 election, and disputed the results of her own 2022 loss. However, she did not dispute the results of her 2024 loss, in which Trump won in the state even as Democrat Ruben Gallego defeated her defeated. the Senate race.
“She’s no longer Arizona’s problem. Now she’s the world’s problem,” Marson said.
