Katie Hobbs asks court to sanction Kari Lake over Arizona election fraud claims

Anna Giaritelli

December 26, 05:09 PM December 26, 05:09 PM

Incoming Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs accused failed Republican candidate Kari Lake of knowingly waging “unfounded attacks” over the legitimacy of the 2022 election and has asked the court to intervene.

Hobbs filed papers Monday asking a judge for the Superior Court of Arizona’s Maricopa County to sanction Lake and her legal team from making more false accusations against election officials in Maricopa County, the most populated county in the state.

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“Enough really is enough. It is past time to end unfounded attacks on elections and unwarranted accusations against elections officials,” Hobbs’s team wrote in the filing.

Lake had already sued Hobbs on the basis that the race was stolen from her in Maricopa County. Lake lost by 17,000 votes, and the court rejected her claim that she was the real winner. Lake has yet to concede after seven weeks.

"She has not simply failed to publicly acknowledge the election results. Instead, she filed a groundless, seventy-page election contest lawsuit against the governor-elect, the secretary of state, and Maricopa County and several of its elected officials and employees (but no other county or its employees), thereby dragging them and this court into this frivolous pursuit," the filing states.

Hobbs accused the Trump-endorsed former local news anchor of never intending to concede the election regardless of whether she suspected foul play or not.

“[Lake] had decided well before the election that if the results did not favor her, she would deny that they were legitimate. And she misused this court to do so,” the Hobbs filing states.

Lake claimed with no evidence that local election officials purposely rigged the election against her and that Hobbs, the state secretary of state, had used her authority to interfere with the election.

Maricopa County Deputy Attorney Thomas P. Liddy came to Hobbs's aid and said Lake was using the courts to "harass political opponents and sow completely unfounded doubts about the integrity of elections" and make money from it by fundraising as she waged the unfounded attacks.

Lake was a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, who claimed after the 2020 election that it had been rigged against him. His campaign has yet to prove so.

Kari Lake demands Maricopa election officials be 'locked up', continues to deny election loss

Heather Hamilton

December 19, 07:51 AM December 19, 07:51 AM

Defeated Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake called for the election officials of Arizona’s Maricopa County to be “locked up” as she continues to deny last month's election result.

While speaking at Turning Point USA’s America Fest in Phoenix on Sunday, Lake defended her denial of the midterm election results that saw her lose to Democrat Katie Hobbs.

“These people are crooks, they need to be locked up,” Lake said of the Maricopa County election officials.

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Lake said she identifies as a “proud election-denying deplorable.”

She also accused the media of attacking former President Donald Trump, saying they "want to drag him through the mud". The defeated Lake then performed a crude gesture to members of the media in attendance.

On Thursday, a Maricopa County judge approved Lake’s requests to inspect some ballots before the trial in her challenge to the Arizona gubernatorial race results, claiming that "if the process was illegitimate then so are the results." It came after Lake brought forth a civil complaint earlier this month to overturn her election defeat and declare her the winner.

Lake was defeated by Hobbs 1,287,891 votes to 1,270,774, according to the certified results of the election. She has trafficked in claims that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.

Kari Lake files first lawsuit asking Maricopa County to prove election integrity

Heather Hamilton

November 25, 07:57 AM November 25, 07:57 AM

Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake filed a lawsuit against Maricopa County over its administration of the midterm elections.

Lake, who has vocally cast doubts regarding her loss to Democratic challenger Katie Hobbs, filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Arizona Superior Court. In it, she is suing Stephen Richer, the Maricopa County recorder, and other officials.

Lake is asking the court to require that the officials produce records on how they conducted the midterm elections.

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“Given instances of misprinted ballots, the commingling of counted and uncounted ballots, and long lines discouraging people from voting, as demonstrated in the attached declarations, these records are necessary for Plaintiff to determine the full extent of the problems identified and their impacts on electors,” the suit reads.

The lawsuit also asks the court to require that records be produced prior to the county’s canvassing of voting results scheduled for Nov. 28.

Lake has refused to concede. On Monday, the Republican candidate said, “If we give up now, we will no longer have a country.”

"Would you get on a plane if HALF of the engines didn't work?" she asked in a letter released Monday. "Would our friends in the media be able to broadcast their nightly propaganda if HALF of their studio equipment was not working?"

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates said that despite an issue with some tabulator machines in Maricopa County on Election Day, voters were given alternate ways of voting.

"People were still able to vote, it was just a matter of maybe not voting in the way they wanted to," he said on Nov. 8. "We do not believe that anyone has been disenfranchised, because no one has been turned away."

Outgoing Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) met with Hobbs on Wednesday, saying he would work with her to ensure a smooth transition.

“Today I congratulated Governor-elect Katie Hobbs on her victory in a hard-fought race and offered my full cooperation as she prepares to assume the leadership of the State of Arizona,” Ducey said in a statement.

Key midterm races left outstanding

Ryan King

November 11, 09:40 AM November 11, 09:44 AM

As the dust begins to settle from the midterm election mayhem, dozens of races remain unresolved, leaving lingering questions about how the balance of power will shake out in Washington, D.C.

Democrats managed to snuff out a prophesied red wave, but Republicans remain within striking distance of capturing the House, while the fate of the Senate is up in the air. Dozens of House races, three Senate races, and four governor's races are outstanding, with most of the stragglers hailing from Alaska, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Oregon.

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Here is a breakdown of the top unfinished midterm election races:

Alaska House at-large district

A traditionally Republican-held seat that was vacated by the death of Rep. Don Young earlier this year, Alaska's at-large district was captured by Democrat Mary Peltola in an upset victory over former Gov. Sarah Palin earlier this year. Both Peltola and Palin clashed in a rematch for the midterm cycle, but the outcome remains unclear.

Under Alaska's election system, the top four contenders face off in a ranked choice voting contest if no candidate reaches 50% of the vote. With about 80% of the vote in, Peltola is in the lead with about 47.2% of the vote. Palin is trailing at 26.6%. Republican Nick Begich has 24.2%.

Arizona Governor

In one of the hottest midterm races of the country, Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs have battled it out for Grand Canyon State governor. About 82% of the vote has been tallied, and Lake is trailing Hobbs 49.3% to 50.7%. The election is another test of the traditionally red-leaning state's apparent shift to purple.

Arizona Senate

Seemingly on the precipice of being called, incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) currently touts a 51.7% to 46.1% lead over populist Republican challenger Blake Masters. So far, 82% of the vote has been counted, resulting in reluctance at election desks to call the race that could determine the balance of power in the upper chamber.

Arizona's 1st Congressional District

Republicans had been widely expected to pick up toss-up seats this cycle without ceding GOP-friendly terrain, but they are at risk of doing so in Arizona's 1st Congressional District. Democrat Jevin Hodge has a razor-thin lead over Republican foe David Schweikert with 50.8% to 49.2%, with about a quarter of the votes outstanding.

California's 47th Congressional District

Late in the midterm game, Republicans suddenly became bullish about picking off liberal star Rep. Katie Porter. With just shy of two-thirds of the votes counted, Porter has a slim lead over Republican rival Scott Baugh, with 50.8% to 49.2%.

Colorado's 3rd Congressional District

Stupefying some political observers, conservative firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert is in serious danger of losing her reelection bid to Democrat Adam Frisch in what could be a major upset in a GOP-friendly district. As of Friday morning, Boebert is leading 50.17% to 49.83%.

On Thursday morning, however, she was effectively dead even with Frisch, trailing by a scant 64 votes with 95% of the vote in before pulling ahead with just under a 400-vote lead later in the day, later growing to a 1,122-vote lead. Under Colorado law, races with a final margin of 0.5% or less head to a recount.

Georgia Senate

It's deja vu in the Peach State. Drawing parallels with the 2020 election, the fate of the Senate could rest on the runoff race in Georgia. Neither Republican Herschel Walker nor incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock garnered enough votes to claim a majority outright. Warnock ran ahead of Walker in the race and won the prior runoff.

Nevada House trio

Democrats in Nevada seemingly gambled on an ambitious redistricting strategy that effectively rendered three of the state's Democratic-held congressional districts competitive. Although Republican Mark Amodei won in the GOP-friendly 2nd Congressional District, the bet appears to have paid off with Democrats holding the narrow edge in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th congressional districts. Between 92% and 94% of the votes in those races have been counted.

Nevada Senate

After suffering a loss in Pennsylvania, Republican hopes of reclaiming the Senate turned to the Silver State race. Republican Adam Laxalt is leading incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto 48.97% to 48%, with about 90% of the votes in, marking a tightening of the race from Thursday morning.

Oregon Governor

Republicans had been keen about breaking the blue dam in the Beaver State this cycle and dedicated considerable firepower to boosting Republican Christine Drazan in her quest to succeed an unpopular outgoing governor. A three-way race that involved Democrat Tina Kotek and independent Betsy Johnson seemingly left an opening. Eventually, the called the race and projected Kotek the winner.