On Thursday, May 23, the AMAC Action organization conducted a webinar that consisted of a forum of the top candidates for U.S. senator from Arizona. All three candidates were invited, Democrat Gallego and Republicans Lake and Lamb. Only Lake and Lamb attended, Gallego did not.
This was not a real debate as we know it, but rather a forum in which each candidate was asked the same questions and had either 2 or 3 minutes to respond. The rules were very simple. The first candidate to answer the first question was determined alphabetically (Lake) and the first to answer subsequent questions was alternated back and forth. While a candidate spoke, all other microphones were muted, so that there would not be any interruptions.
Throughout the discussion, both candidates stressed what they consider their strengths.
Lake chose to stress two main reasons why she is a better candidate. One is the fact that she has been endorsed by Trump. In fact, she mentioned it 8 times in her 30-minute share of the conversation. The other is that she has been at the forefront of the fight for election integrity for the last two years. To that end, she pointed out that she has been in court numerous times. She did not mention what the outcome of those court battles has been.
Lamb’s strategy was totally different. Throughout the event, he pointed out that Lake is good at talking and conducting photo ops, but he has been in the trenches, actually doing the job. He stressed the fact that he is the only candidate who has won elections, balanced a budget, led an organization, fought crime and defended our borders, among others.
When it came time to express positions regarding most of the core issues facing our state, both candidates were mostly in agreement. For example, both candidates expressed support for secured borders, limited government, balanced budgets, protection of social security, reduction of the national debt, curbing inflation, promoting healthy businesses, reducing foreign aid, and avoiding involvement in foreign wars.
Here are highlights of the conversation regarding the two topics for which there was the highest level of disagreement.
Attributes and Accomplishments
Lake:
- Was chosen by Trump to run because he trusts her
- As a news person, seen what is wrong
- Has been at the forefront of the fight for election integrity, including numerous court battles.
Lamb:
- Hands-on experience on what is going on at the border and how to fix it.
- Winning elections
- Running a large agency with a large budget
- Balancing budgets
- Knowing what it is to deal with government
- Understanding the rule of law
- Nearly two decades of fighting and reducing crime
- Never flip-flopped regarding core issues.
Election Integrity
Lake:
- Lamb is a coward. He has done nothing for election integrity
- Pinal County had a shortage of ballots
- During a congressional hearing, he claimed that there was no fraud in AZ elections.
Lamb:
- Yes, there was a shortage of ballots during the Pinal County 2022 primary election
- I was not in charge of elections, but saw to it that the problem was corrected.
- She plain lied regarding testimony at a congressional hearing. The question was whether there was fraud in the elections, the answer was that there was fraud in every election. A follow up question was whether there was any evidence of fraud. The answer was that there was no provable, admissible evidence. As a law enforcement person, one must follow the law and present only evidence that is not only credible, but that stands up in court. Neither Lake nor anyone else has ever presented that kind of evidence regarding election fraud.
It is fair to state that those who saw/heard this discussion came out with a better understanding of the differences between the two candidates, and are now in a better position to vote intelligently and responsibly.
To view the discussion, click here.