What to know about former Arizona governor candidate Kari Lake's ties to Iowa

Former Arizona governor candidate and Iowa native Kari Lake is heading back to the Hawkeye State this weekend to meet with Iowa Republicans.

Lake garnered widespread attention on the campaign trail for her outspoken support of former President Donald Trump and her contentious positions on election fraud.

After losing in a hotly contested race against Democrat Katie Hobbs in November, Lake made national airwaves again for filing a lawsuit alleging election officials in Maricopa County and the Arizona Secretary of State rigged the election to prevent her from winning. A judge later dismissed the case, although Lake still is fighting in the courts.

While Lake rose to prominence as a news anchor and politician in Arizona, her roots are in Iowa.

Here's what we know about her ties to the Hawkeye State:

Where did Kari Lake grow up?

Lake grew up in Donahue, Iowa, as one of nine siblings.

In a video posted to her YouTube Channel, Lake said her family struggled to keep food on the table. In the video, she recounted living off of a gravel road and waking up early in the winter to split wood to heat her house.

Where did Kari Lake go to school in Iowa?

Lake is an alum of North Scott Senior High School in Eldridge and a graduate of the University of Iowa with a degree in mass communications and journalism.

Randy Denner, said he taught in the social studies department at North Scott Senior High School along with Lake's father, Larry Lake. Denner, now more than 10 years retired, can't remember if he taught Lake in the classroom, but he remembers her as "a great personality" who "always had a smile on her face."

Denner, a Democrat, said he thought Lake would be the type of person he would vote for if it were not for her close ties to former President Donald Trump and her belief that hers and Trump's last elections were stolen.

How did Kari Lake get her start in media?

Lake secured her first job in media at KWQC-TV, an NBC affiliate based out of Davenport, where she started as an intern and later become a production assistant, according to a December 1992 issue of the Quad-City Times.

She then went on to WHBF-TV based in Rock Island as a weekend weathercaster. In 1994, Lake moved to Phoenix to work as the weekend weather anchor at local NBC-affiliate KPNX-TV.

Lake said she left her career in media during the COVID-19 pandemic and later decided to pursue a career in politics.

More:Rage politics: Kari Lake's anger-fueled, Trump-inspired bid for Arizona governor

Kari Lake's itinerary in Iowa this weekend

Lake's visit will start with a meet-and-greet at noon Friday, hosted by the Scott County Republican Women of Iowa. On Saturday, she'll host another meet-and-greet at The District Venue in Ankeny at 5 p.m.

"Kari is thrilled to return to her home state of Iowa," said Colton Duncan, a strategist for Lake. Duncan said in addition to meet-and-greets in Iowa, Lake will also visit family and join country singer Aaron Lewis at a concert in Bettendorf.

Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at @francescablock3.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Kari Lake, Iowa native and Arizona governor candidate, comes to Iowa