What is Kari Lake's Net Worth?
Kari Lake is an American politician, a conservative Republican, and a former news anchor for KSAZ-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, who has a net worth of $2 million. Kari Lake worked as a news anchor at Phoenix's KSAZ-TV (Fox 10) for 22 years (1999-2021), becoming one of Arizona's most prominent local news personalities.
In 2021, Lake left her broadcasting career and entered politics, running for Governor of Arizona as a Republican in the 2022 election. Her campaign gained significant attention for her strong alignment with former President Donald Trump's positions and her embrace of claims about election fraud. She won the Republican primary but lost the general election to Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs in a close race.
Lake refused to concede the gubernatorial election and filed multiple legal challenges contesting the results, all of which were unsuccessful in court. She has since remained active in Republican politics and has announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Arizona for the 2024 election, seeking to challenge incumbent Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema.
Throughout her political career, Lake has become known for her conservative positions on issues like immigration, election security, and Second Amendment rights. She has maintained a high media profile and continues to be an influential figure in Arizona politics and the broader Republican Party.
Early Years
Kari Lake was born on August 23, 1969, in Rock Island, Illinois, as the youngest of nine children. Her father, Larry Lake, was a social studies teacher and sports coach at North Scott High School in Eldridge, Iowa, while her mother, Sheila, worked as a nurse.
After graduating from North Scott High School, she enrolled at the University of Iowa, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Journalism.
The World of TV News
In 1991, Kari Lake began interning at KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa. The following year, she started working as a reporter and weathercaster at WHBF-TV in Rock Island, Illinois.
In 1994, she moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to take a position as a weekend weather anchor at KPNX. She eventually became the station's evening anchor before relocating to Albany, New York, in 1998, where she worked for WNYT.
By 1999, Lake returned to Phoenix, securing the evening anchor position at KSAZ-TV, where she remained until 2021. She resigned from journalism that year to pursue the Republican nomination for governor of Arizona.
Politics & Lawsuits
In her 2022 gubernatorial campaign, Kari Lake was endorsed by former U.S. President Donald Trump. She immediately sparked controversy by falsely claiming that Trump had actually won the 2020 presidential election against Joe Biden.
Lake ultimately lost the election to Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs, who became the 24th governor of Arizona. Refusing to concede, Lake filed a two-year lawsuit contesting the results, alleging that about 300,000 illegal votes had been counted and that mail-in ballots contained invalid signatures. The Arizona courts ruled against her.
She then filed another lawsuit requesting that either Hobbs' win be overturned or the Maricopa County election be redone. The judge dismissed eight of the ten counts and allowed two claims to proceed to trial—one alleging that election officials interfered with ballot printers and another that Maricopa County had mishandled the chain of custody of ballots. However, after a two-day trial, the case was dismissed when all witnesses admitted they had no personal knowledge of intentional misconduct.
In February 2023, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected Lake's appeal, and in March 2023, the Arizona Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
Defamation Lawsuit
In June 2023, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer filed a defamation lawsuit against Lake, alleging she had falsely accused him of sabotaging the 2022 election by intentionally printing ballots at the wrong size and adding 300,000 illegal votes to the count.
Lake argued that her comments were protected under the First Amendment and asked the court to dismiss the case. Her request was denied. In 2024, she agreed to stop contesting the defamation claim, and the two parties settled the case.
That June, the Arizona Court of Appeals again rejected her request for an appeal, and in July 2024, the Arizona Supreme Court once more declined to hear the case.
2024 U.S. Senate Election & Voice of America
In 2024, Lake won the Republican nomination for the United States Senate election but later lost the race to Democratic politician Ruben Gallego.
On December 11, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Kari Lake as director of Voice of America (VOA)—a government-funded international broadcasting network. However, under U.S. law, only the International Broadcasting Advisory Board has the power to appoint or remove VOA's director.
Lake has denied plans to turn the outlet into "MAGA TV," stating she would respect VOA's long-standing mission of independent journalism. Established in 1942, Voice of America remains the largest and longest-running international broadcaster in the U.S., producing digital, television, and radio content in 48 languages.
(Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Controversies
Red for Ed & COVID-19 Misinformation
In 2018, Kari Lake spoke out against the Red for Ed movement, a teachers' strike advocating for higher salaries and better benefits. She accused it of being a covert effort to legalize marijuana. After facing backlash, she publicly apologized, calling her statement an incorrect conclusion.
In 2020, she was again criticized for posting controversial information about COVID-19 on Twitter and Facebook.
Election & Voting Machine Lawsuits
In April 2022, Kari Lake and far-right politician Mark Finchem filed a lawsuit to ban electronic voting machines in Arizona. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected their case.
They then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2024, but the court declined to hear it. Later that year, they appealed again to the Ninth Circuit Court, which also denied their request.
Party Hopping
Kari Lake has switched political affiliations multiple times:
- November 2006: Left the Republican Party to become an independent
- January 2008: Registered as a Democrat
- January 2012: Rejoined the Republican Party
Views on Abortion, Gender & Sexuality
Kari Lake has taken shifting stances on abortion. She once called it "the ultimate sin" but later denounced Arizona's abortion ban. She has since expressed support for restricting abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
She has also claimed that American schools are promoting transgender ideology to children and has opposed companies that sell merchandise supporting Pride Month.
Personal Life
In 1991, Kari Lake married electrical engineer Tracy Finnegan. They divorced in 1993. In 1998, she married Jeff Halperin, and they have two children.
