Trump supporters fail with election challenge

Judge Peter Thompson said the court found no “clear and compelling evidence of wrongdoing” that would have affected the outcome of Arizona’s gubernatorial election. Speculation or conjecture was not enough. Thompson dismissed the objection by Republican candidate Kari Lake. At the same time, he confirmed the victory of Democrat Katie Hobbs. Lake immediately announced that he would appeal the decision.

A very close race

According to the official count, Hobbs won the gubernatorial election in November by a mere 17,117 votes. After the vote, Lake, who said she believed “100 percent” in her own victory, persistently tried to stir up doubts about the correct course of the election.

According to Lake’s complaint, “illegal ballots” were cast. The 53-year-old also referred to problems with voting machines in the Maricopa district, where queues had formed in front of some polling stations. According to the responsible authorities, no one was prevented from voting.

The district, to which Arizona’s capital Phoenix belongs, was already under close surveillance because allegations of manipulation had already been made there after the 2020 presidential election. At that time, Joe Biden had won against Donald Trump in Arizona by a razor-thin margin of around 10,000 votes – which Lake continued to doubt in her election campaign in November.

The former TV presenter is considered an ardent supporter of Trump, who supported her in the election campaign. Lake is also among those who keep repeating Trump’s unproven claim that Biden won the presidential election through massive fraud.

wa/rb (afp, dpa)