Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, eviscerated GOP Senate hopeful Kari Lake and seemed to put her support behind one of Lake’s likely opponents ahead of the 2024 Senate race.
Asked whether she would accept an apology from Lake for her previous remarks repeatedly disparaging the McCain family and “McCain Republicans,” Meghan McCain called Lake an “absolute joke sham of a candidate.”
“Don’t ask people to get over people hurting their family and their dead parents,” McCain told KTAR News host Larry Gaydos.
“What I would say to her is, I would say, ‘Sinema 2024,’” she said of how she would respond to a hypothetical Lake apology.
Sen. Kristen Sinema, an independent from Arizona, has yet to formally throw her hat in the ring. She needs to gather about 42,000 signatures by April 1, a daunting and expensive feat with less than a month and a half to go until the deadline.
McCain also called Lake “pathetic” and “delusional.”
“Kari Lake just follows Trump around like a puppy dog begging to be chosen as his vice presidential pick,” McCain said on KTAR on Wednesday. “That’s obviously never going to happen because she is the one who loses elections, not anyone with the last name McCain in the state of Arizona.”
The war of words between Lake and the McCains traces back to 2022, during Lake’s failed gubernatorial run. At a campaign event in July of 2022 in Tucson, Lake said, “What’s not fair is that they’re trying to shove another RINO [former Arizona Gov. Doug] Ducey-McCain clone down our throats,” referring to an acronym for “Republicans in Name Only.”
Lake also said John McCain’s widow, Cindy McCain, “wants an end to America.”
“This is the Cindy McCain branch of the Republican Party. They’re not Republicans. They’re globalists,” said Lake in 2022.
Speaking to a crowd at a campaign event, Lake said “We don’t have any McCain Republicans in here; do we? Get the hell out!”
Asked about her “get the hell out” comment, also on KTAR News, Lake said, “It was a joke that was said a year before the election.”
“I think if John McCain, who had a great sense of humor, would have heard it, he would have laughed,” said Lake on KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday.
But Meghan McCain certainly isn’t laughing.
“It’s not a joke,” said McCain. “I used to work at ‘Saturday Night Live.’ I know what a joke is,” the 39-year-old television producer added.
In a separate instance, Lake seemed to imply that John McCain was one of the “losers” produced by the Arizona Republican Party, perhaps a reference to McCain’s failed 2008 presidential run.
But McCain says Lake is the real loser in the realm of Arizona politics.
McCain also went after Lake on X, prompting Lake to respond, “I value you. I value your family and I value the passion you have for our state.”
McCain then responded to Lake’s post writing, “NO PEACE, B—-!”
Lake is running as a Republican for the seat currently represented by Sinema. Rep. Ruben Gallego is running for the Democratic nomination. The race is rated a toss-up by Cook Political.
Alex Tabet
Dan Gallo and Vaughn Hillyard contributed.