The Republican candidate said she would put \u00ab\u00a0Arizona first\u00a0\u00bb in a video posted on social media on Tuesday.<\/b>
\nThe former Fox 10 news anchor Kari Lake has officially announced her Arizona gubernatorial bid three months after she revealed that she was resigning from the local news network. Posting a video on social media on Tuesday night, the Republican candidate said she would put \u00ab\u00a0Arizona first\u00a0\u00bb and stressed the need to help small businesses in the state that have suffered as a result of pandemic lockdown measures over the past year. The ex-journalist also unveiled her 2022 campaign website, and filed a statement of interest with the Arizona secretary of state’s office. According to the filing, she plans to stand as a candidate in the Republican primary. In her campaign launch video, Lake said: \u00ab\u00a0I’m running for governor because Arizona has problems, and it’s time we got serious about solving them. \u00ab\u00a0Our small businesses are still struggling to recover after being locked down. Schools are pretending online learning is the same as having our kids in the classroom. Our homeless population is growing. Opioids and new high-powered synthetic drugs are everywhere. The border is out of control, and our police are under attack.\u00a0\u00bb After she accused the media of \u00ab\u00a0pushing fear and division,\u00a0\u00bb the Republican candidate said Arizona needed leaders with \u00ab\u00a0integrity\u00a0\u00bb and \u00ab\u00a0a vision,\u00a0\u00bb as she accused politicians of failing the state. \u00ab\u00a0The time has come to put Arizona first. Arizona first for our kids in K-12 education with the curriculum that makes sense,\u00a0\u00bb she added. \u00ab\u00a0First for families so they can thrive in safe and secure neighborhoods. First for people who want to own small businesses. And first in helping bring back those businesses shuttered during the government-forced shutdowns.\u00a0\u00bb Lake then touted her career as a reporter, and said she had covered politicians who had done more for their donors and themselves than for Arizonans. Newsweek has contacted the Kari Lake campaign for further comment. The former Fox 10 anchor announced her resignation in March. In a video at the time, she said didn’t like the direction the media was taking, and argued that it needed \u00ab\u00a0more balance in coverage\u00a0\u00bb and a broader range of views. \u00ab\u00a0It’s been a serious struggle for me, and I no longer want to do this job anymore,\u00a0\u00bb she said at the time. \u00ab\u00a0So, I’ve decided the time is right to do something else, and I’m leaving Fox 10.\u00a0\u00bb The Republican candidate’s campaign website touts her career as a journalist, framing Lake as a \u00ab\u00a0symbol of truth in journalism\u00a0\u00bb who had walked away from a \u00ab\u00a0mainstream media market peddling fake news.\u00a0\u00bb She has also filmed a video with PragerU, a conservative nonprofit, covering her personal story and journalistic career.<\/p>\n