The GOP’s hopes of retaking the Senate partly rely on Kari Lake, the former TV broadcaster and 2022 gubernatorial candidate in Arizona who is on track to become the party’s Senate nominee. To supplement her income, Lake has been earning money through paid appearances and book sales. In June, Lake received $20,000 for speaking at the St. Joseph County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner in South Bend, Indiana, as reported in a financial disclosure at the end of the month. This payment is in addition to $75,000 that Lake earned from paid speeches in the year prior to announcing her campaign. The June disclosure also revealed that Lake earned $27,738.77 from sales of her book, “Unafraid.”
Furthermore, the disclosure detailed Lake’s agreement with right-wing publisher Winning Team Publishing in 2023, which included a $100,000 advance and 25% of net profits beyond that. The document also showed that Lake had between $1,000 and $15,000 in stock in Trump Media & Technology Group. Despite the additional income sources, Lake’s assets remained largely consistent with her January disclosure.
In preparing for the upcoming Senate race, Lake is expected to face Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego in the fall, a contest that will be crucial in determining Senate control. While it is not uncommon for politicians to profit from their celebrity image, some Republicans have raised concerns about Lake spending a significant amount of time out of state despite not having won an election yet. Lake’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.