Ingraham Endorses Kelli Ward in Bid to Unseat Never-Trumper Jeff Flake
LifeZette editor-in-chief hails conservative challenger's 'courage' in taking on Establishment senator
by Kathryn Blackhurst | Updated 22 Aug 2017 at 1:23 PM
LifeZette Editor-in-Chief Laura Ingraham endorsed Dr. Kelli Ward in her bid to oust Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) Tuesday on The Laura Ingraham Show, saying that Ward is by far the most committed to the conservative-populist cause.
Ward, who lost a 2016 GOP primary bid against Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), is a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump unlike Flake. While Flake has blasted Trump for allegedly destroying the Republican Party and conservatism in a new book, Ward has championed the president as an anti-Establishment figure who fights for the interests of the American people.
"Kelli Ward, I am going to endorse you in this primary fight against Jeff Flake," Ingraham said. "I think you are by far the most committed to the conservative-populist cause. You want to make America great again. You've been a stalwart supporter of this president even when so many in the Republican Party have turned tail and run away from him at key junctures. And I want to thank you for what you're doing."
"It takes a lot of courage to go up against the Establishment," she continued. "And [Flake's] going to have a lot of money. He's going to have a lot of Chamber of Commerce people writing a lot of checks for him. But I think you have the heart of the people with you. And I hope to come there and do a big event for you if you'll have me."
Ward thanked Ingraham for her endorsement, telling Ingraham, "We have to unite just to do away with this establishment power, the professional insider political class that has put us where we are today. And I welcome you to Arizona at any time, and I look forward to seeing you in person."
"People are sick and tired of the Establishment, of the people inside of Washington trying to tell us how we should live our lives," Ward said. "I hope that the insider cabal that wants to decide who's going to be the candidate and be the next United States senator will get behind the people of Arizona. Because I can tell you, I have the heart and soul of the voters in Arizona and across the country in many cases."
Pointing to Flake's constant stream of criticism against Trump and his populist agenda, Ward said Flake's anti-Trump comments "sound an awful lot like what the Left says, don't they?"
Flake isn't strong on cracking down on illegal immigration or supporting Trump's signature campaign promise of building a border wall, Ward said, noting that Arizonans value the president's commitment to delivering on those promises.
"I think that everyday Arizonans want a secure border. They want to stop illegal immigration," Ward said. "They want the full spectrum of border security. And they want it first and foremost, before we start talking about any other immigration reform. And Laura, I'll tell you, that includes building the wall."
"I'm so glad that President Trump is going to be meeting with the Border Patrol today down at our border, because they need the resources and the manpower to be able to stop people from coming into our country illegally," Ward said, noting that Trump is set to speak at a rally in Arizona Tuesday night after visiting the southern border.
Although Trump is pivoting off of a controversial couple of weeks following the deadly Charlottesville rally on Aug. 12, Ward insisted that Trump "did the right thing" in condemning both the Alt-Right and the Alt-Left for engaging in violence and acting upon hatred.
"I think that the press made a big ado about nothing. I think that President Trump did the right thing. He called out hatred, he called out bigotry, he called out violence again and again and again," Ward said. "But no matter what President Trump said, when he said it, how he said it, it was never going to be enough for the Left, for the mainstream media, for the resist movement, and unfortunately, for Establishment GOP insiders the Flakes, the McCains, the [Mitt] Romneys. They are just trying to gin political points on the back of Donald Trump."
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