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Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake on the economy, the border and recent polls

12News caught up with her in an exclusive interview before her tour of Metro-Tech High School to discuss issues related to our state.

PHOENIX — Three weeks out from Arizona's Nov. 8 general election, Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake took a tour of Metro-Tech High School in the Phoenix Union High School District. 

Lake met with the school’s principal and district superintendent. She toured the high school’s departments like police, fire, pharmacy schools and a flower shop. It was a chance for Lake to see how public schools push vocational training, which she says aligns with her educational goals as governor.

“My plan calls for a dual track education after 10th grade. And so after 10th grade, kids can decide, hey, I want to go to college. And we continue along those college prep courses. Or I want to get skills training, trade, skill training, vocational training, career certification right there in high school, so I can get out and be ready for the high-paying jobs that are out there,” Lake said.

12News caught up with her in an exclusive interview before the tour to discuss several issues.  

RELATED: Arizona Clean Elections Commission reschedules interview with Kari Lake that was suspended last week

The economy

Regarding inflation and the economy, Lake said, “I'm concerned about everybody. But I'm really concerned about our people who are heading into retirement or those who are in retirement. What we're going to do in the short term is to provide some relief from things like grocery taxes or rent taxes. That'll put a half a billion dollars back into the pockets of hardworking Arizonans, may not affect everybody, because some cities don't have those taxes. But we are going to make sure that wherever we can pull those taxes back and help people we do.”

RELATED: ASU economist rates Lake's, Hobbs' plans for inflation

Arizona- Mexico border

Regarding the Arizona- Mexico border, Lake said she would keep the shipping containers that Gov. Doug Ducey has placed, despite the feds saying it’s against federal law.  

“We'll keep them in place. For the time being, we're going to finish President Trump's wall on the border; eventually, we're going to do that we're going to use the materials that are down there at the border, we're going to have to have our legislature work to redefine that material as abandoned federal property,” said Lake.

RELATED: Feds: Ducey's placement of stacks of shipping containers at border illegal

RELATED: No, an Arizona governor cannot complete the border wall without the Fed's permission

Poll results

A recent poll from OH Predictive shows Lake and her Democratic opponent Katie Hobbs in a statistical tie.  

Lake said she’s not concerned that Hobbs is catching up and is confident she will win the bid for governor.  

But if she loses, when asked if she would claim election fraud, she responded, “If the election is fair, honest, and transparent, then, of course, I will accept the results.”

Decision 2022

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