Former President Trump praised Republican Carrie Lake for her debate against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) in the Arizona Senate race while campaigning in the Grand Canyon State on Sunday.
“You destroyed that poor man. As you know, they have expressions. “If it had been a fight, they would have stopped it, but it was destruction,” Trump said, referring to Gallego at a campaign event in Prescott Valley, Arizona.
“We should make it into a movie or something. That’s how it should be. Anyone who sees that will never vote. “This guy is a total lightweight,” he later added. “And this woman gave up a lot. She achieved great success in everything she did. “We have to let her in.”
Lake and Gallego faced off in their only debate last week as they raced to unseat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). Both candidates used the debate, with Lake attempting to link Gallego with President Biden and Vice President Harris, while Gallego attacked Lake for her past election results and her opinions on abortion.
Lake joined Trump on stage during his speech.
“After President Trump’s first term, I used to say that we witnessed one of the greatest presidents in American history. And now I say this is the greatest president in American history,” he said, drawing cheers from the crowd. “But I think it’s more than that. I think we have one of the greatest leaders in human history, and his name is Donald J. Trump.”
Nonetheless, polls showed Gallego ahead of Lake in the race. According to a tally of Arizona polls compiled by Decision Desk HQ, Gallego is ahead of Lake with an approval rating of about 50% to 42%.
In an interview with NBC News that aired last week, Lake suggested that voters should not trust the polls.
“These polls are very similar to what we saw in 2016. It’s a poll designed to get voters to do something. I know what our internal polls look like. “I really like it.” Lake told the network. “I talked to door knockers who were knocking on doors for independent groups, Republican groups. “The response from people coming through the door has been overwhelming.”
The Hill has reached out to the Gallego campaign for comment.
