Arizona Republican Kari Lake, who refused to concede after narrowly losing the 2022 race for governor, is set to headline the Colorado GOP’s annual fundraising dinner in November, state Republican Chairman Dave Williams announced last week.

The party’s 2023 Centennial Dinner is scheduled for Nov. 4 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Loveland Hotel Conference Center & Spa in Loveland.

Williams said the state GOP has invited all “major” Republican presidential candidates to address the crowd at what could be the first opportunity to reach a large number of potential Colorado delegates ahead of next year’s Super Tuesday primary on March 5.

Tickets to the fundraising dinner range from $125 for a single meal up to $14,650 to sponsor a table of 10 with access to a VIP

reception.

A former TV news anchor and supporter of former President Donald Trump, Lake is expected to announce her candidacy for the Arizona Senate seat held by Kyrsten Sinema, an independent and former Democrat, as early as October, Politico reported last week.

Although she lost the state’s gubernatorial election last fall to Democrat Katie Hobbs by more than 17,000 votes, Lake has maintained without credible evidence that she won and continues to wage legal battles seeking to challenge the results.

Pundits have put Lake high on the list of potential Trump vice presidential running mates.

The Colorado Republican Party last week circulated a letter written by Lake endorsing a proposal to cancel next year’s June 25 state-level primary election and nominate Republican candidates through an expanded caucus and assembly process.

Under the proposal, which the state GOP’s central committee plans to consider Saturday at a meeting in Castle Rock, the party would allow all registered Republicans to vote at assemblies held throughout the state.

The central committee last month voted down a procedural measure that would have made it easier to cancel the primary, but party leaders say they still plan to hold a vote on the question.

State Republicans have fallen short in attempts to “opt out” of Colorado’s semiopen primaries — which allows unaffiliated voters to cast ballots in both major parties’ primaries — every two years since voters approved the system in 2016.

“If you vote to opt out, it will ensure that only committed Republican voters choose Republican nominees while eliminating election interference from radical Democrats,” Lake wrote.

“Moreover, this change motivates candidates to connect substantively with voters, avoiding mudslinging and dishonest strategies. Internal party disputes remain internal, minimizing exposure to adversaries,” she added.

Last month, the state Republican Party sued in federal court to overturn the state law that established Colorado’s primary system, arguing that forcing the party to let unaffiliated voters help choose nominees violates the GOP’s constitutional right to freedom of association, among other arguments.

Another Arizona Republican, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, delivered the keynote address at last year’s Centennial Dinner, which was held in the spring on the eve of the Colorado Republicans’ state assembly in Colorado Springs.