In the midst of a key U.S. Senate race, right-wing commentator and Republican nominee Kari Lake is spending her time praising and interacting with far-right trolls, extremists, and misogynists. The recipients of her attention have viciously attacked Gov. Tim Walz’s son, claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris is a “hoe” who dances “like a hood rat,” called Tim Walz an anti-LGBTQ slur, and said women are “too mouthy.” 

Lake is running for Senate in Arizona, where she previously lost a 2022 race for governor. (The election denier has contested those results even while running for her current race.) Lake has spent a significant amount of her political career attempting to appeal to extremist elements of the media, including interacting with QAnon and antisemitic figures. 

In the past few weeks, Lake has continued to cultivate and maintain the support of extremist commentators. Here are four examples of Lake’s recent interactions.

Brenden Dilley frequently traffics in conspiracy theories and misogynistic, discriminatory, and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. In a representative remark, Dilley said he wished that women would “focus on their pretty dresses and their house and their children and making me sexually satisfied all the time, and food.” On August 22, he viciously attacked Tim Walz’s son Gus. 

Lake is a supporter and “friend” of Dilley, who regularly promotes her online. After Dilley made a video supporting her, Lake replied on August 23 (just a day after Dilley launched his attack on Gus Walz): “That was so awesome! Thanks for the song and video. And thank you for your friendship. MAGA!!!” 

Laura Loomer has described herself as a “proud Islamophobe” who is “pro-white nationalism.” She has a long history of horrific and bigoted remarks, including celebrating the death of migrants and saying “nobody cares” after the 2019 mass murder of 51 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand. Loomer has recently called Harris an ableist slur, falsely claimed she is not Black, and said she’s a “hoe” who dances “like a hood rat.”

Lake is a friend and ally of Loomer. After Loomer wished her happy birthday and posted a picture of her with Lake, the Republican responded on August 23: “Thank you, Laura [heart emoji].” 

Roger Stone is a notorious trickster who was convicted of numerous felonies and had his sentence commuted by then-President Donald Trump. He is a proponent of political retribution, including recently saying that Trump’s political opponents will be arrested if Trump wins. (Stone has also recently said that Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is “going to prison.”) He regularly employs hateful rhetoric and recently called Gov. Tim Walz a “f-----.” 

Lake is a friend and ally of Stone. On August 27, Lake posted a picture of her with Stone and wrote: “Happy birthday to my friend—political legend ⁦⁦@RogerJStoneJr⁩! Wish we were together toasting you on your birthday. May your year ahead be epic!” 

Royce White is a Steve Bannon acolyte who has pushed conspiracy theories about 9/11, the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, the tragic Maui wildfires, and the 2020 election. He also has a history of using slurs and pejoratives to attack people. He has said that “women have become too mouthy” and stated that Republicans who seek out the votes of suburban women are “losers” with a “cucked mentality.” 

White is now the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota. After he won his primary, Lake wrote on August 14: “So incredibly proud of you. You have done this with no support from the powerbrokers, but all of the support of the Minnesota grassroots. That is admirable!  I know you will represent Minnesota well in the United States Senate. Let’s beat Amy Klobuchar and deliver Senator Royce White for the good people of Minnesota.”