Ted Cruz endorses Kari Lake: Arizona Senate hopeful secures the backing of another top Republican who says she will 'prioritize security' and 'won't back down from a fight'

Senate hopeful Kari Lake has picked up another endorsement from an influential Republican who she hopes will soon be her colleague. 

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced Thursday that he will throw his support behind the former journalist-turned-politician in the competitive Arizona Senate race. 

'Kari has proven that she will always prioritize the security and well-being of Arizonans and the American people and will not back down from a fight,' Cruz said in a statement shared exclusively with DailyMail.com.

'I am proud to endorse her for U.S. Senate today.'

With Cruz's endorsement, Lake adds to her star-studded list of Senate supporters. 

Lake also has the endorsements of Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., John Cornyn, R-Texas, Steve Daines, R-Mont., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced Thursday he would support Kari Lake's bid for Senate

Kari Lake previously met with Senate leaders in early March after Sen. Krysten Sinema, I-Ariz., announced she would not seek re-election

Including Cruz, Lake has 19 endorsements from Senate Republicans, including the support of almost all of the GOP leadership.

'I am honored to have the endorsement of Senator Ted Cruz,' Lake said in a statement exclusively shared with DailyMail.com.

'He has been a conservative leader in the Senate, standing up for border security and fiscal responsibility. I look forward to working with him to save our country.'

In his endorsement, Cruz noted Lake's tough stance on border security and immigration and said the state, which has seen huge numbers of illegal border crossings, needs a leader who is up to the task.

'Border states have been on the frontlines of Joe Biden's open border crisis for over three years, which is why we need a leader in Arizona who is not afraid to stand up and join the fight for a secure border,' he said. 

Lake has also received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who she fiercely defended amid his claiming that the 2020 election was rigged against him. 

He repeatedly noted how anomalies in Arizona's electoral process kept him out of office for a second consecutive term, and Lake agreed.

Her support of the former president did not come for free, however, as it may have played a part in her narrowly losing the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial race to Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs. 

And Lake's current bid for Senate has featured fireworks just like her past run. 

In January, DailyMail.com revealed that Jeff DeWit, the former chair of the Arizona Republican Party, offered to bribe Lake to stay out of the 2024 Senate race, saying ominously, 'there are very powerful people who want to keep you out.' 

DeWit continued: 'So the ask I got today from back east was: 'Is there any companies out there or something that could just put her on the payroll to keep her out?'' 

Lake shot back, 'this is about defeating Trump and I think that's a bad, bad thing for our country.'

Just about a day after DailyMail.com's report was published, DeWit resigned from the Arizona GOP.  

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., (Left) threw his support behind Lake in October 2023 

Now, the Republican firebrand is running to replace outgoing Sen. Krysten Sinema, I-Ariz., who announced earlier this month she would not seek re-election. 

The 47-year-old Independent, who defected from the Democrats in 2022 and is a moderate in the Senate, warned that America is choosing 'anger and division' rather than working together in a video announcing her retirement. 

Lake's likely opponent in the race, Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is a Marine veteran who has served in the House since 2015. 

An Emerson College Polling/The Hill poll released Wednesday found that 40 percent of Arizona voters backed Lake as opposed to 44 percent supporting Gallego. 

The same survey found that a whopping 16 percent of voters are still undecided.