OPINION: I fought dictators abroad. Kari Lake praises them.

Arizonans deserve leaders who will stand up for our democracy and reject authoritarianism in all its forms.

I was born to two World War II Veterans who risked their lives to defend democracy against dictators. They taught me that true leadership is about service and integrity. 

When I was 19, I followed in their footsteps and enlisted to serve in Vietnam. I fought to protect the democratic values that make America strong—values like free and fair elections, respect for the rule of law, and the defense of our freedoms. 

Unfortunately, Kari Lake does not share these values. Kari Lake’s actions and words reveal a dangerous willingness to align with authoritarian figures and promote conspiracy theories that threaten the foundations of our democracy.

Lake has repeatedly defended Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, criticizing journalists for challenging him and suggesting he is “interested in talking peace” even as he wages war on Ukraine. She praised Hungarian dictator Viktor Orban, calling him the “GREATEST” in Europe and commending his policies as “doing things right.” But under Orban’s leadership, Hungary has seen a decline in democratic freedoms, with election laws manipulated to favor his continued rule.

But Lake’s anti-democratic tendencies don’t stop with her praise of foreign autocrats. She has also shown a willingness to defend the actions of those who attacked our own democracy on January 6th. Lake called the insurrection a “peaceful protest” and has spread baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. She still refuses to acknowledge that she lost her own election in 2022 and claims that she is “the duly elected Governor of Arizona.”

These actions reveal a troubling pattern: Kari Lake is willing to undermine democratic values and align with those who oppose them. Arizonans deserve leaders who will stand up for our democracy and reject authoritarianism in all its forms. 

We must hold firm to the principles that make our country strong and reject those who seek to erode them. Kari Lake has shown she is not that leader.