Election denier Kari Lake vowed to appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court after her gubernatorial defeat case was dismissed for the second time on Thursday, less than two months after it was rejected by a Maricopa County judge.
The verdict by the Arizona Court of Appeals, the second and penultimate level of the state’s court system, was the latest blow for Lake, who lost the campaign for Arizona’s next governor by approximately 17,000 votes in December.
The 53-year-old former Phoenix journalist immediately attributed her loss to voting fraud and launched a lawsuit stating that difficulties with printers and election day protocol prevented her from defeating Democrat Katie Hobbs.
Her case centered on the notion that election officials in Maricopa County – which, according to Lake, was the hub of the voter conspiracy – committed the wrongdoings at the direction of Hobbs and the local government.
Judge Peter Thompson of the Maricopa County Superior Court dismissed the lawsuit the day before Christmas, prompting Lake to seek an appeal, which was dismissed on Thursday for lack of evidence.
In typical fashion, Lake, who has remained adamant that the 2020 Presidential Election was also stolen, has taken her third consecutive loss in stride, and has taken to social media to assure her supporters that she would continue to contest Hobbs’ victory.
‘We are NOT finished,’ Lake tweeted Thursday night, mere moments after the Court of Appeals – paid by Arizona taxpayers – rejected the action, citing the failure of Lake’s team to submit evidence casting doubt on Thompson’s conclusion.
Lake would then confirm the meaning of the cryptic statement by referring her past comments that she would take her case to the highest court in Arizona if necessary.
I told you we would take this issue all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court, and we will,’ Lake told her more than 931,400 followers, concluding the tweet with the signoff ‘Buckle up, America!’
The article also included a link to her so-called ‘Save Arizona Fund,’ a fundraising initiative she established to help pay for legal fees in her quest to present evidence of a rigged election. It is unclear how much money has been raised thus far.
Officials of the Arizona Court of Appeals stated earlier in the day why they rejected Lake’s petition, which alleged that voting equipment malfunctioned ‘deliberately’ on election day, without bringing the issue to trial.
The state’s second highest court explained, “Her request for relief fails because the evidence presented to the superior court ultimately supports the court’s conclusion that voters were able to cast ballots, that votes were counted accurately, and that no other basis justifies setting aside the election results.”
“Lake’s arguments highlight Election Day difficulties, but her request for relief fails,” the ruling said, leaving Lake, who refused to concede despite the absence of evidence, with limited recourse.
In the end, Lake has two options: file a third appeal at the state level and hope for a different ruling than the previous two, or accept defeat and pursue a new career in politics.
The claim, which was filed on December 19, stated that officials in Maricopa County, where Lake worked for several years as a news anchor for the Phoenix Fox affiliate Fox 10, interfered with the machines, so breaking both federal and state law.
Lake stood in Maripoca’s Superior Court for two days of proceedings – but did not testify – before the complaint was dismissed, describing the election as “mismanaged” and “a sham.”
Three months later, Lake and her legal team have failed to present substantial proof to back her claim that machine and printing issues were directly responsible for her loss of votes.
Technically, Lake was defeated by more over 17,000 votes by Hobbs, who served as Arizona’s 21st secretary of state before taking the governorship last month.
The action identified Maricopa County and Hobbs as defendants, prompting the current governor to call the claim “baseless” in a tweet.
When jurists were still listening to Lake’s argument, she wrote in a follow-up post: ‘Voters have made it obvious that they want their leaders to work together to solve problems. Arizonans have entrusted me with this responsibility, and I am eager to go to work as the state’s next governor.
The secretary of state’s office criticized Lake as a media personality seeking 15 seconds of fame, calling the lawsuit a hoax.
The government of Adrian Fontes declared in a critical statement, “Kari Lake requires attention like a fish requires water.”
Other critics, like Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Clint Hickman, contended that the political newbie lacked sufficient evidence to substantiate even her mildest charges.
Lawyers with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office wrote in December of the suit, ‘Not only do plaintiff’s allegations fail to support finding that she is entitled to be awarded enough votes to change the outcome of the election, but they also do not show even a single illegal vote, any erroneous count of votes, or that the Defendant election officials engaged in misconduct.’
Thursday, Hickman was among the many who celebrated the Arizona Court of Appeals’ dismissal of Lake’s claims, which included the allegation that his county plotted to hand Hobbs the election.
‘As we have already stated, every lawful vote was tallied in a midterm election with a near-record turnout,’ Hickman said in a statement released Thursday, adding, ‘It’s long past time to move on.’
Lake can now submit an appeal, but it could take months for the court to review her case. If this bid is also rejected, the politician will have no other options.
»Kari Lake vows to appeal her governorship loss in Arizona to the state supreme court«