Karrin Taylor Robson and Kari Lake Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

(Photos by Brandon Bell, Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

By Raquel Terán

August 2, 2022

Opinion: Lake and Taylor Robson aren’t just competing for the nomination—both are competing to prove who can be the more right-wing candidate in this primary.

Arizona’s primary election is happening now and the race to be the Republican Party’s nominee governor has turned into an unhinged and embarrassing “MAGA death match,” as one outlet referred to it. 

On Aug. 2, voters are left to choose between an anti-abortion, election-denying conspiracy theorist and another anti-abortion, election-denying conspiracy theorist. Some say Kari Lake is the extremist in this race, but make no mistake—Karrin Taylor Robson aligns with Lake on nearly every issue—from abortion, to guns, to pushing conspiracy theories about elections. 

RELATED: Trump Endorsements: What You Need to Know About Arizona’s MAGA Republican Candidates

For the past several months as this race has heated up, the two have been battling it out to prove who’s the most far-right candidate. Taylor Robson is desperately blitzing the airwaves, spending millions of her own money in an attempt to differentiate herself from Kari Lake.

This bitter primary race has even fractured the Republican Party with name-calling, opposing endorsements, and once-unified GOP power players like Donald Trump and Mike Pence taking separate sides. But despite all the mudslinging, the truth remains the same: Lake and Taylor Robson are cut from the same cloth on every issue. 

It’s no secret that Trump and Lake have been vocal conspiracy theorists, pushing disproven lies about the 2020 election and sowing doubt about future ones. But Taylor Robson has also consistently said she doesn’t trust the results of the 2020 election and has refused to say if she would certify Arizona’s 2024 election if she were governor. 

RELATED: Can Wealthy Establishment Politician Karrin Taylor Robson Convince Voters She’s an ‘Outsider’?

During the first and only GOP gubernatorial debate on June 29, Taylor Robson refused to answer if she would have certified the 2020 election and said the elections “weren’t fair” before regurgitating fake conspiracy theories about the media and big tech companies suppressing conservative voices. Taylor Robson has repeated this false claim several times before.

Like Lake, Taylor Robson opposes the right for Arizonans to access safe and legal abortion services, including in cases of  rape and incest as Laurie Roberts at the Arizona Republic pointed out. Taylor Robson has said she supports the Texas ban on abortion, the 15-week Arizona ban on abortion, and Arizona’s 1901 total ban on abortion—all of which have no exceptions for rape or incest.  During the GOP gubernatorial debate, both Lake and Taylor Robson said they support and would enforce Arizona’s 1901 ban on abortion, and said they’d also ban abortion pills. 

RELATED: Could Anti-Abortion, Election-Denying Conspiracy Theorist Kari Lake Be Arizona’s Next Governor?

In the wake of endless tragedies and deaths from gun violence, both Lake and Taylor Robson have moved so far right that they refuse to support even modest, bipartisan gun reform, like banning assault weapons like AR-15s. Taylor Robson has said she would oppose any level of gun reform. After Tucson voted to ignore Arizona’s new “Second Amendment sanctuary” law that bars state and local governments from enforcing federal gun regulations, she demanded Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich sue and take away funding from the city. Arizonans across the political spectrum are asking for common sense gun reform and both Lake and Taylor Robson will refuse to deliver. 

Lake and Taylor Robson aren’t just competing for the nomination—both are competing to prove who can be the more right-wing candidate in this primary. And to do so, both are pushing extreme positions that go against what Arizonans want. Neither have a  real plan to fix our failing education system, lower the skyrocketing cost of living, or address Arizona’s water crisis. Instead of focusing on how to improve our state, they’re looking at how they can destroy it and each other. Once the dust settles on this hostile primary, it’ll be clear that neither Lake nor Taylor Robson can unify their own party, let alone Arizona.

Lake and Taylor Robson are both in a race to the bottom and the true loser is all of Arizona.

Looking for the latest Arizona news? Sign up for our FREE daily newsletter.

Author

CATEGORIES: Uncategorized

Politics

Local News

Related Stories
Share This