Lake vs Taylor Robson for the Arizona GOP gubernatorial nomination

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) —There are four candidates left in the Republican primary for governor. But realistically, this is a two-woman race between former news anchor Kari Lake and businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson. From the start, Lake has aggressively run a pro-Trump, America First campaign. Lake attacked the media, matched the former president’s harsh rhetoric on border issues and pushed Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Her devotion to the 45th president and his agenda eventually paid off with his endorsement.

Lake and Robson do have certain similarities. Like Lake, Taylor Robson started her campaign by highlighting her support of Trump. And both candidates promise to secure the border and defend gun rights while railing against cancel culture.

But there are big differences. Taylor Robson has not clearly said if she thinks the 2020 election in Arizona was rigged or corrupt. “I will go back to what I’ve always said and I will continue to say, that I don’t believe the election was fair,” Taylor Robson recently told Arizona’s Family.

Meanwhile, Lake has made unproven claims of election fraud the cornerstone of her campaign. Lake is new to politics but is a familiar face. She spent two decades in local news and used that name recognition to catapult her into the lead of this pivotal race.

Unlike Lake, Taylor Robson has taken a more traditional path to public service. She briefly held a position in the Reagan White House, graduated from law school, started her own company, and eventually won an appointment to the Arizona Board of Regents. Other than Trump’s endorsement of Lake, the biggest moment so far was former Rep. Matt Salmon’s dropping out of and endorsing Taylor Robson.

For most of the campaign, Lake has held a commanding lead. But in recent months, Taylor Robson has closed the gap in the polls, thanks in large part to the millions she spent to run nonstop TV ads.

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