Month: November 2022

An election-denying former journalist could be the next governor of Arizona. But does Kari Lake truly believe in what she's campaigned on - and will it matter when results of the razor-thin contest are finally called? It was 130 degrees, but Kari Lake was cool as a cucumber. Her immaculate hair-do and pristine make-up had somehow defied the sweaty ravages of the summer heat. Lake spent 22 years as a TV anchor on Arizona's local Fox 10 news channel before jumping into politics with a run for Arizona governor this year, and her poised on-air persona has been one of her most powerful political weapons. I met Lake this summer at a coffee morning hosted at a retirement community in Wickenburg, a couple of hours north of Phoenix. Lake had driven ou...

Ex-US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, as the simmering rivalry between the two top Republicans boiled over. Mr Trump belittled his former political apprentice as an "average" governor, lacking in "loyalty". Mr DeSantis, 44, won re-election in a landslide in Tuesday's midterms, sealing his status as the Republican party's brightest rising star. He is widely expected to run for the party's 2024 White House nomination. But Mr Trump, 76, looks increasingly likely to stand in his way. The former president - who has a massive campaign war chest and remains hugely popular with the party's base - would be a formidable opponent for Mr DeSantis, or any other Republican who dares challenge him. ...

The path to the 2024 US presidential election begins almost as soon as midterm elections end - and several candidates are already waiting in the wings. Former president Donald Trump is currently favoured to win the party's nominating contest and go on to face President Joe Biden in a rematch of their 2020 race. But while Mr Trump remains hugely popular with Republican voters, he faces numerous legal challenges and will also be 78 years old in two years. That means he may be in for a stiff challenge from a coterie of Republican hopefuls, including some who once backed him. Ron DeSantis Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has worked hard to emulate Mr Trump and he is widely considered the candidate most likely to supplant him. At 44 y...

In a state governed by Democrats, a far-right candidate is about to win another term to US Congress - while her moderate Republican colleague is set to lose his bid for Senate. The races in Colorado are a capsule of the rifts shaping national politics. A few hours' drive out of Denver, the capital city in the centre of Colorado, an enormous sign can be seen from the side of the highway: white background, pink-and-black font, pasted on to an old, hulking trailer. "This Is Boebert Country," it reads. "Boebert" refers to Lauren Boebert. The 35-year-old Republican represents Colorado's third congressional district, a vast stretch of land that spans the entire western half of the state. Though she has not passed a single piece o...