Kari Lake Issues First Major Update Since Katie Hobbs Declared Victory
Kari Lake Issues First Major Update Since Katie Hobbs Declared Victory

By Zachary Stieber

Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake said Nov. 17 she’s still fighting, in her first major update since Democrat candidate Katie Hobbs declared victory.

“I wanted to reach out to you to let you know that I am still in this fight with you,” Lake, a former television anchor, said in a video statement.

Lake said concerns her campaign had raised about Hobbs, the Arizona secretary of state, overseeing the election and with electronic voting equipment turned out to be legitimate, pointing to how tabulators across Maricopa County weren’t working properly on election day.

Lake said that she spoke with voters who had to wait in line for hours, including a man who went to three different polling sites before he was able to finally cast his vote.

“Our election officials failed us miserably. What happened to Arizonans on Election Day is unforgivable. Tens of thousands of Maricopa County voters were disenfranchised,” Lake said.

“Now I’m busy here collecting evidence and data. Rest assured I have assembled the best and brightest legal team. And we are exploring every avenue to correct the many wrongs that have been done this past week. I’m doing everything in my power to right these wrongs. My resolve to fight for you is higher than ever,” she added.

Arizona Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs speaks at a press conference calling for abortion rights outside the Evo A. DeConcini Courthouse in Tucson, Ariz., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Hobbs, declared victory on Nov. 14, after outlets including the Associated Press called the race for her.

The only statement Lake had issued was a terse, one-liner on Twitter that said, “Arizonans know [expletive] when they see it.”

Since then, updated vote counts have seen Lake cut into the lead Hobbs still holds.

The current margin between the two candidates is 0.6 percent. If it ultimately ends up at 0.5 percent or less, an automatic recount will trigger. Thousands of votes still need to be counted, including more than 16,800 in Maricopa County.

Hobbs’ campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Lake’s new video.

“I am honored to stand before you as Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs,” she said at what her campaign called a victory rally on Tuesday.

Lake and Hobbs are vying to succeed Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican who has been in office for two terms. State law prohibited him from running for reelection.

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