'I just want to save America': In Iowa, Kari Lake won't slam door shut on being Trump's VP

ANKENY — Arizona Republican Kari Lake said Saturday she isn’t in Iowa running for president or trying to raise her profile to become vice president — but she didn’t completely shut the door on being Donald Trump’s running mate if he asks.

“I really believe his policies are the ones that can help save this country, truly,” she told the Des Moines Register in an interview. “And so I'm going to do whatever I can. If he wants me to help him in any way, shape or form, I will do that. I will campaign for him. I'll do whatever I need to. But I'm not running for VP. I'm not running for president. I am just running to save America, if there's such a thing. I just want to save America.”

Lake, who grew up in Iowa, said the primary goal of her visit was to see her family in the Quad Cities, and she laughed at the idea she couldn't visit the first-in-the-nation GOP caucus state without raising speculation about her potential political ambitions.

Iowa caucuses:Where and when are presidential candidates visiting Iowa?

But while she's here, she said, she might as well talk to Iowa caucusgoers, who hold an extraordinary amount of power in presidential politics.

“Iowans have so much power when choosing who's going to lead this country,” she said on stage to a packed house at an event in Ankeny. “And we need to ensure when people come here ... we need to ask them where they stand on stolen elections.”

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

Lake narrowly lost her 2022 campaign for governor to Democrat Katie Hobbs, the former Arizona secretary of state who certified President Joe Biden's win in the key state. The margin between Hobbs and Lake was thin, with Lake falling short by about 0.7 percentage points — roughly 17,000 votes.

Lake filed a lawsuit in December alleging "intentional misconduct," but a judge dismissed it following a two-day trial, finding that there was no evidence to support her claims of election misconduct. She is appealing that loss in the state Court of Appeals.

Lake has been among the most prominent politicians supporting Trump’s unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against him, and she made the issue central to her gubernatorial campaign.

More:After Arizona loss, Kari Lake pushes unproven 'stolen' election claims across US

Though that focus on the 2020 election earned her Trump’s endorsement in a crowded primary, the message appears not to have resonated with a majority of voters, who elected Hobbs as the first Democrat to hold the governor's office since 2009.

Now, much like Trump, she is taking those claims on the road to litigate her loss in the court of public opinion as well as the courts.

On stage, she acknowledged some of the criticism she’s faced.

“It’s not looking backward,” she said. “It’s called fixing the problem so we can move forward.”

In the interview with the Register, she didn’t say what action she would take if the courts ultimately decide against her.

“I expect that we'll get a good verdict,” she said.

More:Here are key facts and additional information behind the claims in Kari Lake's election challenge

Lake stayed after the conclusion of her speech Saturday to shake hands and take photos with everyone who wanted to meet her, waiting to leave until the event space was empty. Her aides finally ushered her away to a private event nearby with former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and others.

Saturday's public event, which organizers estimated drew about 200 people, was hosted by the Dallas County Republicans. It followed a previous public event Friday in Bettendorf in her native Quad Cities.

“I watched her as a newscaster for 11 years,” said Bill Coburn, a 79-year-old Waukee resident who previously lived in Arizona and attended Saturday’s event. “She was very professional. She knew her facts.”

Coburn said that's what drew him to come see her Saturday. He said he thinks Lake and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds should team up and run for president and vice president. It doesn’t matter who’s in what role, he said.

Gary Leffler, a West Des Moines Republican who ran unsuccessfully for the 3^rd Congressional District's 2022 Republican nomination, said he thinks a lot of people talking about election fraud are just expressing “sour grapes.” But he said he thinks Lake has legitimate concerns, and he’d like to see her have a role as someone’s running mate.

“Let's put it this way,” he said. “I would love to see her and (Democratic Vice President) Kamala (Harris) in a debate.”

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.