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Senate candidate Kari Lake has made calls to state lawmakers to push for the repeal of Arizona’s Civil War-era abortion ban, according to one Republican legislator who said they received a call from her.
The behind-the-scenes effort by Lake comes as the GOP-controlled Legislature considers its next steps after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the state’s 1864 near-total ban on abortion is enforceable. The Arizona House convenes again on Wednesday.
Lake’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday evening on her lobbying of state lawmakers.
Lake, who has said she opposes the court’s ruling, is among the many Arizona Republicans who have scrambled to distance themselves from the 19th century statute, despite previously voicing support for it. Democratic Senate candidate Ruben Gallego has highlighted Lake’s earlier comments on the ban.
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has urged the legislature to repeal the law, while noting Thursday that calling a special session would not be useful now because “the votes obviously are not there.”
Hobbs said that she is in discussion with Republican lawmakers and leadership to repeal the ban, but declined to name any legislators.
Republicans in Arizona hold slim majorities in both chambers — a 31-28 advantage in the House and a 16-14 seat advantage in the Senate.
In a statement after the state Supreme Court’s decision, Republican chamber leaders said they would evaluate the ruling during the waiting period before it goes into effect.
“It’s obvious that calling a special session right now, it would not be productive to get this done,” she said.
Lake, who was defeated by Hobbs in the 2022 gubernatorial election, posted a video to X on Thursday detailing her position on abortion. She said that the state Supreme Court decision on the restrictive abortion law was “out of line with where the people of this state are.” If elected senator, she said, she would oppose a federal ban on abortion.
“I chose life,” she said in the video. “But I’m not every woman. I want to make sure that every woman who finds herself pregnant, has more choices so that she can make that choice that I made.”
Lake has previously spoken in favor of the 1864 statute, calling it “a great law.”
The state Supreme Court ruling came a day after former President Donald Trump announced his position that abortion should be left to the states to decide. Lake, a strong Trump ally, has said she agrees with his stance.
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