MLK’s Daughter to Kari Lake: No, My Dad Wouldn’t Be a MAGA Republican

Kari Lake, a Republican who’s regularly spewed election-denying nonsense in her bid to be Arizona’s next governor, was eviscerated Wednesday after she claimed Martin Luther King Jr. would be a MAGA Republican if he was alive today.

A day after making the bizarre comment, Bernice King shot back that Lake was being dismissive of her father’s “seminal work and beliefs,” such as ending voter suppression and treating all people—including immigrants—with dignity.

She invited Lake to read more about her father at The King Center Institute’s website, providing a link and all.

Lake made the comment Wednesday while campaigning alongside Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her exit from the Democratic Party just last week.

In the conversation, Gabbard explained why she first became a Democrat, saying she was inspired “by the party of Dr. Martin Luther King and by the party of JFK,” which she said was “by and for the people.”

“Unfortunately, that party doesn’t exist today,” Gabbard claimed. “It’s a very different party.”

That’s when Lake, without hesitation, chimed in.

“Actually, I think [that party] does [exist],” Lake said. “I think [that party] is America-first. I’m a true believer that if MLK, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today, if JFK were alive today, if our founding fathers were alive today, they would be America-First Republicans. I really believe that.”

The label “America First Republican” has been co-opted by far-right Republicans pushing policies from the MAGA playbook.

Lake is among the shrinking number of politicians who still publicly say the 2020 presidential election results are illegitimate. She has refused to say that she would accept the results of her race if she lost. Despite this, she has a slight edge over her opponent, Democrat Katie Hobbs, in polls less than a month before election day, according to FiveThirtyEight.

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