Kari Lake's charm offensive is more offensive than charming for moderate Republicans

The Kari Lake charm offensive doesn’t appear to be going so well.

Apparently, it’s more difficult than it looks win over people you previously called gold diggers, doormats and losers.

Several people contacted by Lake have told me that she has no clue how deeply her attacks cut them.

Her refusal to apologize — or even recognize the impact of her slash-and-burn campaign for governor — has left them and other Republicans questioning how she can win over more moderate Republicans and independents as she now campaigns for the Senate.

“Her charm offensive has turned out to be offensive with no charm,” one Republican elected official told me.

Kari Lake doesn't think she's divisive

Lake seems perplexed that any Republican would have a problem embracing her campaign.

“I have never thought of myself as divisive,” she recent wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

If former U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon’s reaction is any measure of what Lake is up against, she’s got a substantial slab of egg to chisel off her face.

“Short of an engraved apology, I wouldn’t consider helping her with anything,” Salmon told the Washington Post.

“She employs the politics of personal destruction, and she’ll say anything — the most vile things in the world — to get ahead. And I’m sorry, I just can’t forget that.”

Ask Matt Salmon about Lake's attacks

Being accused of protecting pedophile rapists will do that.

During last year’s campaign for governor, Salmon was critical of Lake’s proposal to set up cameras in public school classrooms to root out “woke” teachers.

Lake’s response was to retweet an accusation that Salmon is “okay with special needs kids being raped.”

And Karrin Taylor Robson what she thinks

Lake met with Karrin Taylor Robson last month.

According to the Post, Lake asked for Taylor Robson’s support, which is bold given that last year Lake had this to say about her opponent: “I just think it’s disgusting that an open-borders, Ducey-clone RINO is trying to buy the election with her 95-yr-old husband’s millions."

Nobody would blame Taylor Robson for telling Lake to pound sand, which is apparently what she did.

Cue the Post: “When Lake asked Taylor Robson for her support, Taylor Robson responded by saying that she would be closely monitoring Lake’s race, but that her priority was helping Republicans maintain control of the state legislature.”

McCain supporters had 'get the hell out'

The Post reports that Lake also has reached out to former Sen. Jon Kyl, who served for more than a decade alongside that “loser” John McCain.

The two haven’t met, and Kyl wouldn’t talk to the Post about it.

I'm guessing Kyl hasn’t forgotten her sneering view of the “party of McCain” as she invited the late senator’s supporters to “get the hell out” of one of her campaign events.

“Boy, Arizona has delivered some losers, haven’t they?” she said to applause from the MAGA faithful.

Judge tells Kari Lake: To move on from fairy tales

Lake told the Post those comments were made in jest.

Only no one outside the far-right fringe was laughing. Then or now.

Lake needs moderates' support now

Lake is the presumptive Republican nominee, all but set to face Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and incumbent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, should Sinema decide to run as an independent.

All that’s left to wonder about is how Lake can possibly repair the GOP bridges she so badly burned in 2022.

And whether national Republicans will support her or simply write off Arizona as they scramble to maintain control of the Senate.

Republicans already have been blessed with a surefire pickup in West Virginia where Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin is retiring. Meanwhile, they’ve set their sights on knocking off Democratic senators in Ohio and Montana, both states that Trump won in 2020.

In swing state Pennsylvania, the National Senate Republican Committee recruited businessman David McCormick to take on Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.

Without an apology? Doubtful she'll get it

Then there is Lake, who not only hasn't issued any apologies — public or private — but seems perplexed that anyone would have a problem with her campaign by character assassination.

“I have never thought of myself as divisive,” she recently wrote. “But it’s not enough for ME to believe that. I need to prove it. That’s why I’m reaching out to sit down & talk with the people who may be skeptical of me or even hate me. If we can’t unite around our shared values, we will lose Arizona to the radicalism of @RubenGallego & @SenatorSinema. And I refuse to let that happen.”

Right, because “they” — the gold diggers and RINOs and doormats — are the problem.

Just ask Karrin Taylor Robson or Matt Salmon.

Or former Gov. Doug Ducey, who Lake accused of supporting open borders and being a "doormat" to the Mexican drug cartels.

That Lake has never thought of herself as divisive is, well, wow.

Just ... wow.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @LaurieRoberts or on Threads at @laurierobertsaz.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kari Lake is trying to charm Republicans. It's not going well