Meghan McCain issues blistering retort to Kari Lake's MAGA double down

Far-right Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake reversed course on attempts to tone down her MAGA rhetoric Tuesday and received a swift and brutal check from her Republican foe Meghan McCain.

The feud revived Tuesday when Lake told Punchbowl News in a new campaign bus interview that her priority was to woo Trump voters and let the center-right fall in line.

“I honestly believe that the America First agenda is the greatest way for people in the middle,” said Lake. “Unfortunately, we have to push back against a very corrupt media that’s trying to paint this movement as extremist. Frankly, I don’t see anything extremist.”

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Lake argued that her state was at the epicenter of Trump's political movement.

“Arizona is at the center of the political universe," Lake said. "We’re taking incoming from a terrible border policy, we’re seeing the cartels run our border, illegals pouring in, human trafficking, child sex trafficking, fentanyl trafficking.”

Punchbowl reporter Andrew Desiderio shared his story on X and made the case for Lake as a political liability.

"Kari Lake’s risky gamble," he wrote. "In a 20-min interview, Lake made clear she has no interest in tacking to the center, betting the McCain coalition that swung statewide elections for Dems in 20 & 22 will come home to the GOP no matter what."

Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, put it more bluntly.

"F--k around and find out Kari," she replied.

McCain previously clashed with Lake when the Arizona firebrand told McCains and anyone who supported them to "get the hell out" of the GOP" then begged forgiveness in the face of backlash.

Lake, a former Phoenix news anchor, is most notorious from refusing to accept her election loss in the governor's race against Democratic then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.

She has subsequently filed a series of lawsuits trying to force state courts to nullify or redo the election for various reasons, all of which have been rebuffed.

The Senate contest pits her against Democratic congressman and former Marine Ruben Gallego, both of whom are vying for the open Seat being vacated by the retiring independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.