Kari Lake’s abortion stance is about as clear as the Hudson River.
The MAGA fangirl has switched her position on an antiquated abortion ban once again, telling an Idaho news outlet it is “unfortunate” Arizona’s near-total ban isn’t being enforced in the state. That statement directly contradicted comments the U.S. Senate candidate made earlier this month, when she asked state legislators to repeal the same Civil War-era ban.
Speaking to the Idaho Dispatch, Lake supported the ban and threw shade at her state’s Democratic governor, Katie Hobbs, while discussing a recent state Supreme Court decision to uphold it.
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“The Arizona Supreme Court said this is the law of Arizona. But unfortunately, the people running our state have said we’re not going to enforce it,” Lake said. Gov. Hobbs and the Democratic attorney general, Kris Mayes, have both moved to block prosecutions under the ban.
“We don’t have that law, as much as many of us wish we did,” Lake continued.
The comments are a stark turnaround from the former gubernatorial candidate’s remarks about abortion in recent months. As the anti-abortion stance has proved to be a thorn in the side of the Republican Party, Lake has softened her own position on the issue, which she once called “the ultimate sin.”
Immediately after the state Supreme Court revived the ban, Lake pulled her support for what she once called a “great law” and instead called on the state legislature to devise an “immediate common sense solution that Arizonans can support.”
Making not-so-subtle nods to the GOP senate nomination she’s trying to secure—and seizing the chance to tout her ties to Donald Trump—Lake said Arizonans should be allowed to choose abortion for themselves.
“I am the only woman and mother in this race,” she said in a statement. “I wholeheartedly agree with President Trump—this is a very personal issue that should be determined by each individual state and her people.”
On April 11, Lake posted a video to X, appearing to clarify her stance. “I agree with President Trump, we must have exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of a mother,” she said.
But those exceptions aren’t included in the 1864 ban.
Lake’s Saturday comments may signal a return to her original hard-line anti-abortion stance. But who knows? With the official Senate primary set for July 30, there’s no telling how many more switch-ups could be in store.
