Kari Lake uses her Republican National Convention speech to increase her support by 0

Kari Lake had her five minutes under the sun Tuesday at the Republican National Convention and spent precisely none of it trying to broaden her base.

It was a made-for-MAGA moment — certainly not the stuff of a candidate who desperately needs to figure out a way to appeal to those McCain Republicans and independents she spent three years savaging.

Instead, she began with her signature attack on the media then segued over to her Democratic opponent, Rep. Ruben Gallego, falsely claiming that he “voted to let millions of people who poured into our country illegally cast a ballot in this upcoming election.”

Never mentioning, of course, that it’s already against federal law for non-citizens to vote and if they’re caught, they face not only deportation but any hope of ever being allowed back in the country.

Whip up the far-right with broken border bit — sound familiar?

She then launched into her “mama bear” routine and the border bit, leading the chant to “build the wall."

“I can think of one thing more dangerous than a grizzly bear and it’s a middle-aged fed-up mother in Washington D.C.,” she said. “And I haven’t even started my hot flashes yet, guys. Just wait. Just wait.”

But she can’t … wait, that is. Not if she really wants to win back one of those Senate seats that Republicans for decades owned. Before MAGA, that is.

Lake has consistently trailed Gallego in polls and fundraising and there’s a reason for that. Moderate Arizona voters – the ones who in recent years have handed both Senate seats and every key statewide office to Democrats – just don’t like her.

Lake proves again she's a 'one-trick pony' of a candidate

She lags behind Trump in polls by double digits.

The assassination attempt on Saturday offered Lake a chance to at least try to reset, to tone down the bombast.

Instead, she returned once again at the end of her speech to her favorite topic — the media.

“The fake news wants us to believe we’re 50-50, at each other’s throats,” Lake said. “They’re creating division and anger. Americans are actually more united than people believe, right? You see it.”

Riiiight.

"ONE TRICK PONY," Republican consultant Barrett Marson lamented via text as she walked off the stage, having missed an opportunity. "Lake is using this less-than-prime spot to increase her vote total by 0."

Lake got a warm reception in Milwaukee.

But here in Arizona, she’s still getting the cold shoulder from the moderate voters who will decide this race.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRobertsaz.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kari Lake whiffs on chance at GOP convention to reset her campaign