WASHINGTON — Former news anchor Kari Lake, who narrowly lost last year’s gubernatorial race in Arizona, said in an interview that she is considering a Republican campaign to run for senator in Arizona next year.

She also has a campaign-style event this month in Iowa, home of her party’s first presidential nomination contest, that typically showcases the White House’s ambitions.

Plus, she’s still contesting her November loss for governor of Arizona, even though her cheating allegations were dismissed in court. She continues to raise money to finance legal costs related to her court challenges, and she has also given several paid speeches, but she says for whom refused.

Lake’s machinations in recent months show that she’s eager to build a fledgling political resume following a midlife career shift.

After decades as a local TV reporter and anchor, Mr. Lake burst into politics last year after winning a brutal primary that was a potent mix of electoral lies and cultural grievances. Her skills as a sophisticated and ruthless communicator helped her fall within 17,000 votes in winning Arizona’s most politically powerful office as her first ever candidate, Donald J. Trump. Earned the former president’s admiration.

“Here’s your headline: Kari Lake is on the road to war,” Lake said in an interview Thursday night.

But I didn’t know exactly where that road would lead.

Sitting in a corner booth at a Washington hotel bar, Mr. Lake sipped a glass of Guinness and previewed the opening salvo in a potential Senate race against Senator Kirsten Cinema, who left the Democratic Party to become an independent in December. Gallego, a Democrat running for Mr. Cinema’s seat, as a “radical left.”

Mr. Lake sought to cast doubt on Mr. Cinema’s reputation as a moderate, pointing to data showing that incumbents in Arizona are more likely to vote for President Biden.NBC poll last year Indicated American voters were split on whether Mr. Biden was moderate or liberal.

“She’s far from independent,” Lake said. “Someone somewhere said she did some brave things. Well, she should do brave things here every day. You should act bravely every day when you show up in DC.”

A spokeswoman for Cinema declined to comment.

Lake also attacked Gallego, a progressive Democrat from Phoenix, as a socialist, and highlighted the dissatisfaction of former staff member Nerexia Galloway to people of color in his district. A spokeswoman for Mr. Gallego declined to comment.

Last week, Mr. Lake made similar attacks on Mr. Gallego, the state’s first Latino senator, at a rally and on Twitter in Arizona.

Tempe Mayor Corey Woods, who is black, defended Mr. Gallego, saying Mr. Lake’s allegations were misleading.

“I’ve known Ruben Gallego personally for over 15 years and know he’s always stood up for what’s right,” said Woods, who endorsed Gallego on Wednesday. Posted last week on twitter

Gallego also appears to be gaining support from the black community. Roy Tatem Jr., former leader of the East His Valley NAACP in Phoenix, spoke at his Gallego campaign event last week. Reverend Aubrey Barnwell, director of the African American Christian Clergy Union, prayed at the same event.

A handful of other prominent Arizonans told Republican officials they were considering a Senate campaign involving Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. Jim Lamon, a wealthy businessman running for Senate in 2022; Blake Masters, the Senate candidate for the party that lost to incumbent Senator Mark Kelly last year. Karin Taylor-Robson, a businessman who lost to Lake in the gubernatorial primary.

Lake has expressed confidence that she will easily defeat opponents in any sector of the Republican Party, declaring her popularity among conservative voters in the state rivals Trump’s.

She disputed the notion that she was a divisive figure within the party, saying she reached out to her rivals after winning last year’s primary, but many did not answer her calls. rice field.

She also downplayed the viciousness stirred up in the attack on longtime Arizona senator and 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who died in 2018.

In August, she made a stabbing motion with her arm, claiming in a speech that her candidacy had “driven a stake into the heart of the McCain machine”. A video surfaced at the event where he asked if there were any McCain Republican supporters in the audience and ordered them to “get out of hell.”

Lake said in an interview that some Republicans take the thorns personally more than former senators.

“I think McCain laughed,” Lake said. “I really think so.”

Lake said despite the court ruling against her and Democratic opponent Katie Hobbs’ oath on Jan. 2, her top priority is still challenging the outcome of the gubernatorial election. rice field.

Mr. Lake’s allegations that officials in Maricopa County, Arizona, deliberately malfunctioned the ballot printers in order to deliberately sway the election were filed in December following a two-day trial in Phoenix. Rejected. Mr. Lake has appealed the decision.

Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ordered Ms. Lake to pay a $33,000 fee to cover the costs of the expert witnesses Ms. Hobbes hired.