The competition was stiff; the list of contenders was long. But after much teeth-gnashing and no doubt multiple fits of snarky laughter, the lapdog media has christened “Trumpism’s Leading Lady,” America.

And the winner is… Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

The decision was likely tough, given the number of strong contenders in the field. One would imagine Lake’s main competitors were Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Colorado’s Lauren Boebert.

“Conservative” keyboard warriors have been obsessed with the duo for two years, seemingly rushing to post the “news” every time either one of them moves from the couch to the loveseat to watch a movie.

So, what put Lake over the top as “Trumpism’s Leading Lady,” as crowned by The Atlantic and other liberal media outlets? Elaine Godfrey of The Atlantic explained:

The way Lake has imitated Trump’s rhetoric is obvious, but as I’ve followed her in the months since, something else has become clear: She is much better at this than Trump’s other emulators.

In an article titled Among Donald Trump’s endorsements, one holds a special place in his heart: Kari Lake, Politico suggested Lake could be on Trump’s shortlist of potential 2024 running mates.

With her obsessive insistence on unproven election fraud, the Arizona GOP nominee holds a special place in Trump’s eye. There has been so much buzz around Lake that it has led to speculation in her circles and among her right-wing fans that she could be on Trump’s shortlist for a potential running mate, should she ultimately become governor and he runs again for president.

According to Trump aides, the former president has delighted in watching Lake’s rise, wrote Politico, with Trump seeing echoes of his own rise. The former TV news anchor-turned-gubernatorial candidate’s “monomaniacal focus” on the 2020 presidential election “has made even Trump himself blush.”

Then this:

“It doesn’t matter what you ask Kari Lake about – ‘How’s your family?’ And she’s like, ‘The family’s fine but they’re never going to be great until we have free and fair elections,’” the former president has frequently recounted to donors, according to a source close to Trump’s political operation. “He was like, ‘You could ask her, how’s the weather?’ And she’ll turn it into the election. ‘Oh, the weather in Phoenix is OK, but you can never have great weather unless the election is fair.’”

Political columnist Benny Johnson tweeted an image of Lake vacuuming a red rug before meeting with Trump on Thursday, deeming it “servant leadership.” All good — except Trump is the former president of the United States.

This is a real photo of Kari Lake vacuuming the red carpet before meeting Donald Trump.

A member of Kari team told us she insisted on personally making sure the carpet was spotless out of “respect for the office of the President of the United States.”

This is servant leadership pic.twitter.com/FNzduy223x

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 10, 2022

Based on a recent Real Clear Politics poll, Lake has edged ahead of Democrat opponent Katie Hobbs by 1.1 percent, with the bitterly-contended race now at 48 percent to 46.9 percent, a toss-up. Hobbs has refused to debate Lake — never a good sign for any politician, calling her a “conspiracy theorist.”

Maybe Lake is a conspiracy theorist. But given the likes of nutjob lawyer Lin Wood, who predicted then-Vice President Mike Pence would be arrested for treason and executed by firing squad for refusing to succumb to Trump’s pressure to attempt an unconstitutional act and “send it back to the states” on Jan. 6. Or, Sydney “Kraken” Powell‘s multiple “biblical” predictions that never came true, and the ongoing conspiracy theory antics of the MyPillow dude Mike Lindell. Lake is far from the top of the conspiracy theory totem pole — and I haven’t even mentioned Trump’s pal Rudy Giuliani and a host of others.

The Atlantic summed it up this way:

Win or lose, Lake’s political trajectory seems set to stretch well beyond the November election. Her success so far has unlocked glittering possibilities, including book deals and prime-time pro-Trump TV slots. She may even be rewarded with a spot alongside Trump on the 2024 presidential ticket. Whatever happens, Kari Lake is here to stay.

Much to the left’s chagrin,

The Bottom Line

Regardless of whether Trump runs and wins in 2024 — the former is a given; I’m not so sure about the latter — Trump Derangement Syndrome will continue to riddle the tortured minds of the left. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Kari Lake will be among those continuing to carry a torch for The Donald.