Meghan McCain fires back at Kari Lake's attempted apology
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Meghan McCain and Kari Lake. Photos: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images and Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Arizona's MAGA Senate candidate, Kari Lake, is trying to make amends with the family of late Sen. John McCain after telling his supporters to "get the hell out" at an event just over two years ago.
- It's not going well.
What they're saying: "NO PEACE, B---H!" McCain's daughter Meghan McCain told Lake on X yesterday after Lake attempted to clear the air.
Why it matters: Lake knows she needs the moderate Republicans she isolated during her failed 2022 gubernatorial campaign if she wants to win in 2024.
- She has preached GOP unity since she launched her campaign in October.
Flashback: At an event in late 2021, Lake asked if there were any "McCain Republicans" in the crowd. "All right, get the hell out," she then told them.
- And after winning the 2022 GOP primary, Lake said, "We drove a stake through the heart of the McCain machine."
The latest: KTAR News asked Lake about her 2021 comments Tuesday and she brushed them off as a joke.
- "It was said in jest. And I think that if John McCain, who had a great sense of humor, would have heard it, he would have laughed," Lake said.
The other side: Meghan McCain didn't buy it, posting on X, "Kari Lake is trying to walk back her continued attacks on my Dad (& family) and all of his loyal supporters after telling them to 'get the hell out.'"
- "Guess she realized she can't become a Senator without us."
The intrigue: Lake, in a 225-word response, told McCain that as mothers they should "agree that our children's future is too important to let it slip away over past grudges or hurt feelings."
- "That's why I'm working hard to unite Republicans, Independents, Democrats — ALL Americans," she continued.
- Lake asked if she could take McCain for a beer to pick her brain on how to work together, which is when McCain shared her three-word, all-caps response.
What we're watching: McCain's family was never going to forgive Lake — the attacks were too personal to them. But that doesn't mean she won't be able to win back other moderates this year.
- Whether she succeeds may depend largely on Lake's discipline and ability to walk-back past controversial comments like those about McCain.