PHOENIX — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake earned at least $102,000 from a company that was led by Jeff DeWit, who resigned last week as Arizona Republican Party chairman after Lake accused him of trying to bribe her to get out of politics.
Lake's income for 2022-'23, as well as information about her financial assets, are listed in the Senate financial disclosure required of all candidates and officeholders, which she filed on Tuesday.
Lake was paid $100,000 by the publisher of her book, "Unafraid: Just Getting Started." The publisher, Winning Team Publishing, was co-founded by Donald Trump Jr.
She earned $75,000 for delivering seven speeches last year.
Her net worth, including investments and other assets, falls within a range of about $2 million to $ 4 million.
How Lake earned money after leaving TV
The document shows Lake was hired by Superfeed Technologies as an "advisor" in April 2021, a month after the former TV news anchor left Fox 10 in Phoenix.
Lake's state financial disclosure in her failed 2022 race for governor described her as a communications advisor. The company develops apps for political campaigns and candidates.
She remained employed at northwest Phoenix-based Superfeed during the 2022 campaign.
She left the company in March 2023, roughly the time when she recorded DeWit on a hidden microphone offering Lake a job and money to stay out of the coming U.S. Senate race in Arizona.
Last week, 10 months after Lake left Superfeed, a 10-minute segment of the recording was leaked by a British news site, days before the Arizona Republican Party annual meeting.
Lake accused DeWit of bribery and demanded the he resign as party chairman.
DeWit countered that Lake had blackmailed him by threatening to release more of the recording. He ultimately stepped down.
Lake's ties to 'Horton ad' producer
Lake's most lasting and valuable connection to Superfeed, however, appears to be with one of its directors, Floyd Brown, who was DeWit's boss.
Brown is publisher of the right-wing Western Journal, an author and a political operative best known for producing the infamous "Willie Horton ad" that torpedoed Democrat Mike Dukakis' 1988 presidential campaign.
"I'm deeply involved in her Senate campaign," Brown said Jan. 23 on the Christian podcast "Flashpoint," the same day the Lake tape was leaked.
"I feel the Holy Spirit wants me in her campaign."
Lake, who has been endorsed by Donald Trump, faces Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in the Republican primary.
Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego of Phoenix is the prohibitive favorite in that party's primary.
Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema hasn't announced whether she'll run for a second term.
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