<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona&#8217;s</a> Maricopa County announced an investigation Friday into problems that plagued the 2022 election.
Former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Ruth McGregor agreed to lead the &#8220;independent&#8221; endeavor, county officials said in a statement. McGregor was a member of the state Supreme Court from 1998 to 2009 and participated in a 2019 investigation into <a href="https://ktar.com/story/2554824/gov-duceys-office-to-investigate-arizona-prisons-security-safety/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">security issues</a> at Arizona&#8217;s prisons.
McGregor will hire a team of &#8220;independent experts to find out why the printers that read ballots well in the August Primary had trouble reading some ballots while using the same settings in the November General,&#8221; Maricopa Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates and Vice Chairman Clint Hickman said in their statement. &#8220;Our voters deserve nothing less.&#8221;
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NEW: Former AZ Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor will lead independent investigation into Election Day printer issues. We look forward to her findings. Statement ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/mOhkWideou">pic.twitter.com/mOhkWideou</a>
&mdash; Maricopa County (@maricopacounty) <a href="https://twitter.com/maricopacounty/status/1611430411607113728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
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After Maricopa County, which includes the capital of Phoenix and is Arizona’s most populous county, became an epicenter of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/az-audit-ballot-count-certified-vote-count-do-not-match-says-senate-president" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voter integrity issues</a> stemming from the 2020 presidential election, it again faced controversy in last year&#8217;s November 8 contest when tabulators in roughly 70 of 223 voting centers reportedly had trouble reading ballots. The problems were attributed to printers that failed to produce sufficiently dark &#8220;timing marks&#8221; to inform scanners of voter information, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-arizona-government-and-politics-84b7308b2c4505954a39b570eb0e833d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Associated Press</a>.
In response to a November request for information from Arizona’s then-Attorney General Mark Brnovich, Maricopa County said affected residents were offered alternative ways to vote and insisted the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/28/politics/arizona-maricopa-county-voting-printer-election/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">printer glitches did not prevent anyone from casting ballots</a>. Still, some candidates have raised concerns.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake sued after the results showed that she lost her November contest to then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D) by roughly 17,000 votes. Lake claimed election officials worked to disenfranchise voters and alleged “hundreds of thousands of illegal ballots infected the election in Maricopa County.” A judge rejected the lawsuit, which included a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-rejects-sanctions-against-kari-lake" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claim of intentional misconduct</a> related to malfunctioning ballot printers, but <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kari-lake-files-appeal-in-dismissal-of-arizona-election-lawsuit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lake is appealing</a>.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/recount-affirming-dems-win-in-tight-arizona-ag-race-adds-600-votes-to-count" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Abe Hamadeh</a>, the Republican in the race for Arizona attorney general who is also <a href="https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/abe-hamadeh-files-another-lawsuit-over-arizonas-2022-election-after-recount-results-released" target="_blank" rel="noopener">going to court</a> to fight his November defeat, responded to the investigation news Friday, <a href="https://twitter.com/AbrahamHamadeh/status/1611438908960829440" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeting</a>, &#8220;Maricopa County, Pinal County, what else? Democracy demands answers.&#8221;
Hobbs and others who were declared the winners of their respective contests were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hobbs-forbids-reporters-when-sworn-in-as-arizona-governor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sworn into office this week</a>.

Maricopa County Election Ballots

Maricopa County Announces Investigation Into Election Printer Issues

2022 Election

2022 Midterms

Arizona

Elections

Politics

While most of the nation is focused on the drama unfolding in Congress as lawmakers attempt to choose a new speaker of the House, there has also been theatrics in the adjacent contest in the Keystone State.
Democrats won enough <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pennsylvania</a> House of Representatives contests in the recent midterm elections to gain enough seats for a 102 to 101 majority. On Tuesday, however, Democrats were short three members since two lawmakers resigned and one had been elected despite the fact that he had <a href="https://twitter.com/PAHDCC/status/1590166517182001153">died</a> shortly before the election.
Democrats had planned to choose Democratic state Rep. Joanna McClintock as the chamber’s next presiding officer. In a surprise turn of events, however, more than a dozen Republicans joined with Democrats to endorse veteran Democratic state Rep. Mark Rozzi, who vowed to caucus with neither party and control the gavel as an independent.
“As many of you know, I’ve never been an ideologue,” he remarked on the Pennsylvania House floor, according to a <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/mark-rozzi-democrat-elected-speaker-pennsylvania-house-20230103.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Philadelphia Inquirer. “The commonwealth that is home to independence will now be home to the commonwealth’s first independent speaker.”
Rozzi, a business owner from Berks County, is known for championing legislation overhauling Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse. He said he had been groomed and raped by a Roman Catholic priest as a child, according to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/20/insider/sex-abuse-and-the-catholic-church-why-is-it-still-a-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">profile</a> in The New York Times.
Democrats had claimed soon after the midterms that they had successfully turned the commonwealth’s lower chamber and promised to govern as relative moderates.
“Our leadership team will be presiding over a center-left majority, and not a left-left majority,” Democratic state Rep. Peter Schweyer said in a <a href="https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2022/11/pa-election-2022-results-legislature-state-house-majority/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “And so we’re going to be pushing progressive values, but at the same time be mindful that this is, in fact, a purple state.”
Pennsylvania will enter its third consecutive four-year cycle under a Democratic chief executive since Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/josh-shapiro-defeats-doug-mastriano-in-pa-governor-race-projection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decisively defeated</a> Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano in the gubernatorial election. The race, for which Shapiro had been the favorite throughout the entire election cycle, was closely watched in the aftermath of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, as most new regulations on abortion from the Republican-dominated legislature had been nixed by outgoing Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.
The loss of the lower chamber by Pennsylvania Republicans came as Democratic Lt. Governor John Fetterman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-fetterman-defeats-dr-oz-in-pa-senate-race-projection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defeated</a> Republican celebrity physician Dr. Mehmet Oz in a heated race for the commonwealth’s open seat in the Senate. Fetterman, who suffered a stroke days before the primary election, had provided <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/confident-oz-and-struggling-fetterman-clash-in-pennsylvania-senate-debate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">choppy responses</a> during the only debate for the contest.

PA representative Mark Rozzi commends the class on their success.     The first-ever graduating class from the United Community Services YouthBuild Reading GED program held their commencement program at Muhlenberg Middle School auditorium on Thu

Pennsylvania House Chooses Veteran Democrat Who Vows To Govern As Independent To Serve As Speaker

Democrats

Pennsylvania

Republicans

Florida Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron DeSantis</a> was sworn in for a second term Tuesday as the 46th governor of the Sunshine State after defeating his Democratic opponent in the 2022 midterm elections last year.
DeSantis, 44, a former congressman and U.S. Navy veteran of the war in Iraq, became one of the nation&#8217;s most high-profile governors in his first term, which secured his 2022 victory over challenger Charlie Crist with nearly 60% of the vote.
&#8220;From the Space Coast to the Sun Coast, from St. Johns to St. Lucie, from the streets of Hialeah to the Speedway in Daytona, from the Okeechobee all the way up to the Micanopy, freedom lives here,&#8221; DeSantis said in his <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?525122-1/florida-governor-ron-desantis-sworn-term" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inaugural address</a>, delivered from the steps of the Historic Capitol in Tallahassee.
In his speech, which lasted approximately 15 minutes, DeSantis boasted about his administration&#8217;s first-term successes, which he said were made &#8220;more difficult by the floundering federal establishment in Washington, D.C.”
Such successes DeSantis spoke about that drove Americans to Florida included lowering taxes, reforming education, and ending judicial activism &#8220;by appointing jurists who understand the proper role of a judge is to apply the laws written — not legislate from the bench.&#8221;
&#8220;Over the past few years, as so many states in our country ground their citizens down, we in Florida lifted our people up,&#8221; DeSantis said. &#8220;When other states consigned their peoples&#8217; freedom to the dustbin, Florida stood strongly as freedom&#8217;s linchpin.&#8221;
&#8220;When the world lost its mind, and common sense suddenly became an uncommon virtue, Florida was a refuge of sanity, a citadel of freedom for our fellow Americans and for people around the world,&#8221; he added.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported last month that Florida became the fastest-growing state in 2022, with an annual population increase of 1.9%, resulting in a total resident population of 22,244,823.
&#8220;While Florida has often been among the largest-gaining states,&#8221; Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-lost-more-residents-than-any-other-state-in-2022-u-s-census-bureau" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a news release, &#8220;this was the first time since 1957 that Florida has been the state with the largest percent increase in population.&#8221;
During his inaugural address Tuesday afternoon, DeSantis further slammed the federal establishment for enacting pandemic policies based more on ideology and politics than on sound science.
&#8220;And this has eroded freedom and stunted commerce,&#8221; DeSantis said. &#8220;It is recklessly facilitated open borders making a mockery of the rule of law, allowing massive amounts of narcotics to infect our states, importing criminal aliens, and green-lighting the flow of millions of illegal aliens into our country — burdening communities and taxpayers throughout the land.”
The governor added, &#8220;it has imposed an energy policy that has crippled our nation&#8217;s domestic production,&#8221; which he said has spiked the cost of energy for American citizens and eroded national energy security.
DeSantis continued criticizing states and cities nationwide that embraced &#8220;faddish ideology at the expense of enduring principles,&#8221; which the governor said harmed public safety, burdened taxpayers, and imposed medical &#8220;authoritarianism in the guise of pandemic mandates and restrictions that lack a scientific basis.&#8221;
&#8220;This bizarre but prevalent ideology that permeates these policy measures purports to act in the name of justice for the marginalized, but it frowns upon American institutions,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It rejects merit and achievement, and it advocates identity essentialism.&#8221;
&#8220;We reject this woke ideology,&#8221; he added. &#8220;We seek normalcy, not philosophical lunacy. We will not allow reality, facts, and truth to become optional — we will never surrender to the woke mob. Florida is where woke goes to die.&#8221;
DeSantis, who has generally supported former President Trump even as his growing popularity seemed to grate on the 45th commander-in-chief and Florida resident, has been guarded about his future plans. During his address, he did not mention any potential 2024 Republican presidential bid.
NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-inaugurated-second-term-florida-governor-rcna64068" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Republicans who spoke with the outlet suggested it was a matter of when, not if, the governor would launch a presidential campaign.
DeSantis called the D.C. bureaucracy a sprawling, unaccountable, and out-of-touch authority looming over the American people, producing a dismal and pessimistic view of the country&#8217;s future.
However, Florida&#8217;s governor said the Sunshine State &#8220;is proof positive that We, The People, are not destined for failure.&#8221;
&#8220;Decline is a choice, success is attainable, and freedom is worth fighting for,&#8221; DeSantis said.
Hank Berrien contributed to this report.

TOPSHOT-US-VOTE-ELECTION-FLORIDA-DESANTIS

‘Freedom Lives Here’: Ron DeSantis Sworn In For Second Term As Florida Governor

Ron DeSantis Sworn In For Second Term As Florida Governor Amid 2024 Presidential Bid Rumors

Donald Trump

Florida

Ron DeSantis

Katie Hobbs barred reporters from being in attendance to cover her inauguration as governor of Arizona on Monday.
The Democrat&#8217;s team allowed only a single photographer from the Associated Press into the room at the state Capitol while directing others to instead watch the event via live steam, <a href="https://twitter.com/sbarchenger/status/1609958799045193728" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to local reporter Stacey Barchenger</a>. Media did set up outside of the event.
&#8220;Arizona&#8217;s 24th governor, Katie Hobbs, assumed power at 10 a.m. on Monday and in her first official act, she decided to take the public’s business private. Not a great start,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/LaurieRoberts/status/1609984461143445505" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> Laurie Roberts, a columnist for The Arizona Republic.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
New year, new leadership in Arizona, new stakeouts because reporters aren’t allowed into the 10 a.m. swearing in of incoming Gov. <a href="https://twitter.com/katiehobbs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@katiehobbs</a>. Here’s <a href="https://twitter.com/Adrian_Fontes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Adrian_Fontes</a> arriving for the joint swearing in. <a href="https://t.co/ArWf8aWWfE">pic.twitter.com/ArWf8aWWfE</a>
&mdash; Stacey Barchenger (@sbarchenger) <a href="https://twitter.com/sbarchenger/status/1609958793508704268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
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As Roberts pointed out in a column, the restricted access deprived reporters the ability to ask questions of officials who are now leading the state. Others who took office on Monday included Democrats Adrian Fontes as secretary of state and Kris Mayes as attorney general.
Roberts also noted Monday was a state holiday and Hobbs will participate in a ceremonial inauguration Thursday. Still, she added, Hobbs &#8220;decided to take the public&#8217;s business private&#8221; in her first official act, part of a celebratory affair <a href="https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2022/12/31/hobbs-keeps-donations-secret-for-inauguration-events/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">funded by secret donors</a>.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Katie Hobbs sworn in as Arizona governor" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/La3NrlkuhMY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
A viral clip showed Hobbs laughed while taking the oath of office, which prompted a rebuke from the camp of Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, who like other GOP candidates running for statewide office in Arizona has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kari-lake-files-appeal-in-dismissal-of-arizona-election-lawsuit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gone to the courts</a> to challenge her 2022 election loss.
&#8220;This is one of the darkest moments in the history of Arizona. An illegitimate &#8216;Governor&#8217; laughing in the face of our constitution. But it&#8217;s always darkest before the dawn. We will expose this fraud for the world to see. Justice is coming. [Hobbs] won&#8217;t be laughing then,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/KariLakeWarRoom/status/1609976520931700736" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted the Kari Lake War Room</a>.
Timothy Sandefur, vice president for legal affairs at the Goldwater Institute, came to Hobbs&#8217; defense, <a href="https://twitter.com/TimothySandefur/status/1609988422902611969" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying the full video</a> shows Hobbs &#8220;was feeling emotional &amp; made a little joke to her mother (holding the Bible) about how they were both getting choked up.&#8221;

Katie Hobbs

Hobbs Forbids Reporters When Sworn In As Arizona Governor

Kari Lake

As 2022 comes to a close, it&#8217;s worth taking a look back and revisiting some of the worst political predictions that were made this year.
The following are seven of the worst predictions that were made, according to an exhaustive list that was <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/12/31/the-worst-political-predictions-of-2022-00074872" target="_blank" rel="noopener">compiled</a> by Politico:
1. Sam Bankman-Fried: “I don’t think I will be arrested”
Bankman-Fried, 30, made the prediction on December 12.
The disgraced founder of FTX was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/criminal-charges-against-sam-bankman-fried-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> later that same day after U.S. prosecutors charged him with wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy, and money laundering.
2. President Joe Biden on inflation at the end of 2021: “I think it’s the peak of the crisis.”
Biden predicted on December 10, 2021, that the inflation crisis had peaked and that things would get better from there. The 7% rate that month surged for many months after that, including to a staggering 9.1% in May 2022.
3. CNN Legal Analyst Joey Jackson: A federal indictment of Trump is “imminent.”
Jackson made the prediction on August 10, following the FBI&#8217;s raid on Mar-a-Lago.
“I think the issue here is that indictment — and I’ll say it — I think it’s imminent as it relates to the president,” he said.
While it is certainly possible that Trump could still be indicted, it&#8217;s been four months and no indictment has happened.
4. Jack Dorsey: Elon Musk and Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal “will be an incredible team” at Twitter.
The former Twitter CEO predicted that the world&#8217;s richest man would work well with Dorsey&#8217;s successor. Agrawal was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-elon-musk-officially-takes-over-twitter-as-sale-is-now-final-top-execs-fired-report-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quickly fired</a> after Musk took over the company in October.
5. Rebecca Kutler: CNN+ “will continue to grow and evolve in the months and years to come.”
Kutler, a veteran CNN talent and development executive who later bolted for MSNBC, predicted in late March that CNN+ would be a thriving streaming-service for the the left-wing network.
CNN+ was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/warner-bros-discovery-is-shutting-down-cnn-after-new-streaming-service-struggled-to-attract-viewers-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cancelled</a> just a few weeks later.
6. Mark Herrmann: “Ron DeSantis will lose his race for governor of Florida”
Attorney and blogger Mark Herrmann predicted in early January that DeSantis would not win re-election.
DeSantis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-on-his-historic-blowout-victory-florida-is-where-woke-goes-to-die" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ended up winning</a> in a massive blowout that has catapulted him to the top of the field of 2024 presidential contenders.
7. Nancy Pelosi: Democrats will “hold the House”  and win “more seats”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who is retiring from her leadership position in a few days, predicted in early October that Democrats would win more seats in the House of Representatives during the midterm elections.
While Democrats did by most accounts outperform expectations, they did lose control of the House.

US-ISRAEL-POLITICS-REPUBLICANS

7 Of The Worst Political Predictions Of 2022

General

Nancy Pelosi

A statewide recount added more than 600 votes to the total tally in the close race for Arizona attorney general, adding fuel to Republican concerns about election integrity.
The findings, announced Thursday during <a href="https://ktar.com/story/5397154/recount-confirms-kris-mayes-victory-in-arizona-attorney-general-race/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Maricopa County Superior Court hearing</a> following a <a href="https://ktar.com/story/5390253/suspense-mounts-results-of-arizona-recounts-delayed-until-next-week/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one-week delay</a>, affirmed victory for Democratic candidate Kris Mayes over GOP rival Abe Hamadeh, but by a smaller margin than the 511-vote gap in the original count, <a href="https://ktar.com/story/5397154/recount-confirms-kris-mayes-victory-in-arizona-attorney-general-race/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to KTAR News</a>.
Mayes released a statement thanking voters and her team. &#8220;I&#8217;m excited and ready to get to work as your next Attorney General and vow to be your Lawyer for the People,&#8221; she added.
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My statement on the recount results. <a href="https://t.co/Fo1vFVEkXo">pic.twitter.com/Fo1vFVEkXo</a>
&mdash; Kris Mayes (@krismayes) <a href="https://twitter.com/krismayes/status/1608520436245229568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The recount added 623 votes to the final tally. Hamadeh picked up 427 votes while Mayes netted 196 votes, shrinking the gap between them to a mere 280 votes out of roughly 2.5 million, a shift the Republican called a &#8220;shockingly high discrepancy.&#8221; Hamadeh said his legal team will be assessing its &#8220;options to make sure every vote is counted.&#8221;
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The results of the recount show that my opponent’s lead has been cut by nearly half from 511 to 280 votes. A shockingly high discrepancy. Again, a recount just puts the ballots in the machine again.
My legal team will be assessing our options to make sure every vote is counted.
&mdash; Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) <a href="https://twitter.com/AbrahamHamadeh/status/1608513514951540736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Hamadeh, like many other Republican candidates facing defeat in November, trained fire on Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, the top election official in the state who defeated Republican candidate Kari Lake in the race to become Arizona&#8217;s next governor.
&#8220;Katie Hobbs and SOS Office abused our courts and made a mockery of the justice system. They knew the results of the recount was going to show a LARGE discrepancy due to tabulation errors and fought against our election contest knowing this. They deceived the courts,&#8221; Hamadeh alleged in another tweet.
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Katie Hobbs and SOS Office abused our courts and made a mockery of the justice system.
They knew the results of the recount was going to show a LARGE discrepancy due to tabulation errors and fought against our election contest knowing this.
They deceived the courts.
&mdash; Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) <a href="https://twitter.com/AbrahamHamadeh/status/1608537721714409472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
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State officials defended the election process and pledged to consider reforms where any weaknesses are identified.
The Arizona Secretary of State&#8217;s Office put out a <a href="https://azsos.gov/about-office/media-center/press-releases/1489" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> saying &#8220;discrepancies between the original tally and recount results occur and are not unexpected.&#8221; State Elections Director Kori Lorick said election officials &#8220;will be reviewing the recount process to identify meaningful process improvements as part of our continued commitment to getting it right.&#8221;
Multiple Republicans in statewide contests have gone to court challenging their election losses, including Lake and GOP secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem. Judges <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/arizona-judge-dismisses-finchems-election-challenge-secretary-state-ra-rcna62243" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed</a> their cases, but Lake <a href="https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-judges-hold-hearings-over-2022-elections-latest-updates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and Finchem</a> each <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kari-lake-files-appeal-in-dismissal-of-arizona-election-lawsuit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed a notice of appeal</a>.
Hamadeh filed a lawsuit this month claiming there were thousands of erroneously counted votes and that election worker misconduct led to voter disenfranchisement, <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2022/12/23/hamadehs-election-challenge-shot-down-by-judge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Arizona Mirror</a>. Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen rejected the case last week, saying, &#8220;The bottom line is you just haven’t proven your case, you haven’t met the burden.&#8221;
Automatic recount results for two other races were announced on Thursday. Republican Tom Horne won the race for superintendent of public instruction and Republican Liz Harris won the contest for state House District 13.
Arizona&#8217;s election winners are set to be <a href="https://ktar.com/story/5371818/gov-elect-katie-hobbs-arizonas-other-winners-to-be-inaugurated-jan-5/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inaugurated next week</a> on January 5.

Abe Hamadeh

Recount Affirming Dem’s Win In Tight Arizona AG Race Adds 600+ Votes To Count

Recount Affirming Dem's Win In Tight Arizona AG Race Adds 600+ Votes To Count

Recount

U.S.

Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake appealed a Maricopa County judge&#8217;s decision Tuesday to dismiss her lawsuit, which challenged her defeat against Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs.
Lake filed a notice of appeal in the Arizona Superior Court, which would contest two counts heard in court in a two-day trial last week and eight others initially dismissed by Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson. The dismissal of two counts was related to allegations of intentional misconduct from malfunctioning ballot printers and a failure to follow ballot chain-of-custody procedures.
The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3790121-kari-lake-appeals-judges-dismissal-of-arizona-election-challenge/">reported</a> Lake&#8217;s filing said she would &#8220;seek direct review by the Arizona Supreme Court.&#8221;
Lake told former president Donald Trump&#8217;s adviser Steve Bannon on his &#8220;War Room&#8221; show that she plans to file her appeal this week.
&#8220;I am standing up for the people of this state, the people who were done wrong on Election Day, and the millions of people who live outside of Maricopa County, whose vote was watered down by this bogus election in Maricopa County,&#8221; Lake said in an appearance on Stephen Bannon&#8217;s &#8220;War Room&#8221; podcast.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/KariLake?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KariLake</a>: &quot;I am standing up for the people of this state. The people who were done wrong on Election Day and the millions of people who live outside of Maricopa County, whose vote was watered down by this bogus election in Maricopa County.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/sFHQCx9f9Y">pic.twitter.com/sFHQCx9f9Y</a>
&mdash; Kari Lake (@KariLake) <a href="https://twitter.com/KariLake/status/1607887863877701632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Maricopa County, which includes the capital of Phoenix and is Arizona&#8217;s most populous county, had notable problems during the November 8 election, including printer and tabulation machine-related issues in at least 70 of the county&#8217;s 223 polling locations.
Lake claims there were tabulator breakdowns at over 59% of the voting centers within the county on Election Day.
Lake&#8217;s suit claimed thousands of Republican voters were disenfranchised, arguing &#8220;hundreds of thousands of illegal ballots infected the election in Maricopa County.&#8221;
However, the results showed that Lake lost the contest by roughly 17,000 votes despite her allegations.
Lake, a former journalist who prioritized election integrity as a candidate, filed her appeal after a judge issued a ruling earlier on Tuesday to deny sanctions against her brought by Hobbs for seeking to overturn the results of last month&#8217;s governor&#8217;s race.
Hobbs and Maricopa County filed motions on Monday for <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/sanctions-against-kari-lake-could-cost-her-nearly-700k-1769747">sanctions</a> against Lake and her attorneys, which may amount to nearly $700,000 in penalties to cover the attorneys&#8217; fees and costs, according to an estimate from the AZ Law blog.
Most of that money could go to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kari-lake-could-be-on-hook-for-big-payday-benefiting-dem-lawyer-from-steele-dossier-debacle">Marc Elias</a>, who is well known as the lawyer who directed funding from Hillary Clinton&#8217;s 2016 presidential campaign and Democratic National Committee that went toward British ex-spy Christopher Steele&#8217;s now-discredited anti-Trump dossier.
The judge explained that his dismissal of Lake&#8217;s case does not equate to determining that Lake&#8217;s claims were &#8220;groundless and presented in bad faith.&#8221;
&#8220;Any legal decision must be based on the law and facts rather than subjective beliefs or partisan opinions, no matter how strongly held,&#8221; he added.
Hobbs, who is currently Arizona’s secretary of state, is set to be inaugurated as governor on January 5.
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report.

Kari Lake Campaigns Across Arizona Ahead Of Arizona Governor’s Election

Kari Lake Files Appeal In Dismissal Of Arizona Election Lawsuit

A high-powered Democratic attorney who became a big name in the Trump-Russia controversy may get a hefty paycheck for battling <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kari-lake" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kari Lake</a> in her recently tossed 2022 election lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of last month&#8217;s governor&#8217;s race.
Arizona Governor-elect Katie Hobbs and Maricopa County filed motions on Monday for sanctions against Lake and her attorneys, which may amount to nearly $700,000 in penalties to cover the attorneys&#8217; fees and costs, according to an estimate from the <a href="https://arizonaslaw.blogspot.com/2022/12/sanctions-scorecard-keeping-track-of.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AZ Law blog</a>. Most of that money could go toward Marc Elias, who is well known as the lawyer who <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/lawyer-linked-to-steele-dossier-back-in-spotlight-working-for-mcauliffe-in-virginia-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">directed funding</a> from Hillary Clinton&#8217;s 2016 presidential campaign and Democratic National Committee that went toward British ex-spy Christopher Steele&#8217;s <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/christopher-steele-holds-firm-on-defending-discredited-dossier" target="_blank" rel="noopener">now-discredited anti-Trump dossier</a>.
Hobbs filed motions in her capacity as Arizona&#8217;s secretary of state, the top elections position in the state, and candidate. In the latter, she declared $56,585 in &#8220;definite&#8221; fees and expenses for last week&#8217;s trial, of which $35,762.50 is for Elias&#8217; firm, the Elias Law Group. Another $20,822.50 was listed for the Perkins Coie law firm, which happens to be Elias&#8217; former employer during the 2016 election.
The filing also describes estimated fees &#8220;for additional legal services in connection with the election contest,&#8221; earmarking about $457,032.50 for the Elias Law Group and $93,177.50 for Perkins Coie.
Lake, a Republican endorsed by former President Donald Trump, sued Hobbs and Maricopa County after the results showed that she lost the November contest to Hobbs by roughly 17,000 votes.
Maricopa County, which includes the capital of Phoenix and is Arizona&#8217;s most populous county, struggled with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arizona-two-counties-delay-election-certification-as-ag-issues-letter-concerning-statutory-violations-in-maricopa-county" target="_blank" rel="noopener">problems</a> during the November 8 election, including printer and tabulation machine-related issues. This led to Lake&#8217;s suit claiming thousands of Republican voters were disenfranchised and argued “hundreds of thousands of illegal ballots infected the election in Maricopa County.”
Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson initially dismissed eight out of 10 claims in Lake&#8217;s lawsuit, but allowed two claims to proceed that had to do with allegations of intentional misconduct related to malfunctioning ballot printers and a failure to follow ballot chain-of-custody procedures. After a brief trial in Phoenix, the judge determined on Saturday that Lake and the witnesses she called to testify <a href="https://www.clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/4531/638074764564181393" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed to make an adequate case</a>, even after being <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kari-lake-scores-legal-win-in-maricopa-county" target="_blank" rel="noopener">granted limited ballot inspections</a>. Lake <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-rules-against-kari-lake-in-election-lawsuit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vowed to appeal the ruling</a>.
Attorneys for Maricopa County argued in their <a href="https://www.clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/4541/638076446367828773" target="_blank" rel="noopener">16-page filing</a> that Lake&#8217;s suit was “groundless” and “not made in good faith.&#8221; They also argued Lake attacked the court&#8217;s integrity after the lawsuit was dismissed, citing a <a href="https://twitter.com/LaurieRoberts/status/1607397565695426560" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweet</a> sharing a <a href="https://townhall.com/columnists/print/2617566" target="_blank" rel="noopener">link to a Townhall column</a> and highlighting a line that says, &#8220;Legal experts believe his decision was ghostwritten, they suspect top left-wing attorneys like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-high-powered-attorney-marc-elias-testifies-in-sussmann-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Elias</a> emailed him [the judge] what to say.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
A few days ago I asked what conspiracy theory Kari Lake would offer for why she lost her election contest lawsuit. It is more insane than even I predicted. <a href="https://t.co/8K6OIfSVcc">pic.twitter.com/8K6OIfSVcc</a>
&mdash; Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) <a href="https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/1607382599005003778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In response to that tweet, which appears to have been deleted, Elias remarked: &#8220;A few days ago I asked what conspiracy theory Kari Lake would offer for why she lost her election contest lawsuit. It is more insane than even I predicted.&#8221;
The Daily Wire reached out to Lake&#8217;s attorneys, Brian Blehm and Kurt Olsen, for comment on the requested sanctions.

Kari Lake Could Be On Hook For Big Payday Benefiting Dem Lawyer From Steele Dossier Debacle

Lawsuit

Many voters on the Right, myself included, are justifiably angry about just how wrong every single poll, prediction, and political figurehead was about the prospects of the 2022 midterm elections.
To be fair to the pollsters, this was not an abnormal event. Polls are regularly wrong — sometimes in spectacular fashion. It is all too easy to mock the ‘science’ of polling. But why is nobody discussing an obvious, critical factor that helped to decide the midterms?
Migration.
Not immigration, not illegal immigration, but domestic migration. Registered American voters moving from blue states to red.
According to an <a href="https://pad.human.cornell.edu/papers/downloads/V2021highlights.pdf">analysis</a> of the 2020 U.S. Census by Cornell University, between the summers of 2020 and 2021 New York City lost approximately 1.58% of its total population. That is a staggering number, which equates to over 350,000 fleeing residents in a twelve month span.
New York City is certainly not the only area experiencing this phenomenon. Based on data from the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles, the <a href="https://www.tampafp.com/report-drivers-license-data-indicate-former-residents-of-ny-california-stampede-to-florida/">Washington Post reports</a> from January to September of this year, Florida has received 321,881 requests from individuals wishing to exchange their out-of-state driver’s license for a Florida license. This number shatters the previously held record.
Former residents of the Big Apple make up 41,885 of these 321,881 requests. This would break the previously held annual record of residents moving from New York to Florida. The other states currently scheduled to break records for exchanges of Florida driver&#8217;s licenses this year are: California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Washington.
Noticing a trend?
All of this suggests we could be entering into unknown territory in terms of America’s future political landscape.
Congressman Lee Zeldin very nearly pulled off what would have been one of the major generational upsets in the New York Governor’s race. Republicans won the popular vote, and the Democrats had virtually nothing to offer voters in the way of policy or hope. So what happened?
Well, the red states turned crimson, and the blue states turned navy. Could it be that simple? If all of the conservatives who fled New York City had voted for Zeldin, could he have won? How ironic it is that the 350,000 people lost from New York City in 2021 is almost the exact number of votes which Lee Zeldin lost by.
Let us not forget that Donald Trump won Michigan and Pennsylvania in 2016. Wave goodbye to that. These states are bleeding conservative residents at never before seen rates, yet they will retain their electoral votes until at least 2030. This is a major mathematical problem for Republicans, with just those two states <a href="https://www.270towin.com/maps/blank-2024-electoral-map">currently</a> holding 34 electoral votes.
It wasn’t the blue haired college students or the pansexual librarians who were fleeing these states. It was the people desperate to protect their families from a seemingly unimaginable barrage of tyranny being directed at them from leaders of deep blue cities.
Ron DeSantis just had a historically large win in his gubernatorial election, and yes, he has been simply amazing in his office, but is it just that? It seems more likely that the <a href="https://usafacts.org/data/topics/people-society/population-and-demographics/our-changing-population/state/florida">3.78% increase</a> in population that Florida has seen since 2018 could be responsible.
The problem with all of this: the Republicans will not win another national election if the electoral map remains situated in this manner; they will also struggle in state elections in what were previously considered “Swing States” but are now just plain blue.
Blame the Orange Man, blame the R.N.C., blame the pollsters, but could it really just be a geographical problem at this point?
The next U.S. census is scheduled for 2030, and maybe it will provide some justice in terms of electoral apportionment, but in the meantime the Right must develop a strategy that contends with reality.
Eric Butler is a paralegal at The Daily Wire and holds a degree in political science.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Holds Election Night Watch Party In Washington, DC

The Not-So-Great Migration: How America’s ‘Electoral Refugees’ Influenced The 2022 Midterms

Readers Pass

My Pillow CEO <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-lindell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Lindell</a>, a diehard Trump loyalist, seemed to suggest that Governor Ron DeSantis’ victory in Florida last month wasn’t on the up-and-up.
DeSantis dominated his Democrat opponent in his midterm election blowout, winning by more than 1.5 million votes, a 19.4% margin of victory.
DeSantis won 62 of Florida’s 67 counties, including 59 counties by double digits. DeSantis won Miami-Dade County, the largest county in the state and a Democrat stronghold, by 11 points. He won Palm Beach County, the third largest county in the state and another Democrat stronghold, by three points.
&#8220;What we&#8217;re doing now is, I&#8217;m going after Dade County in the 2022 election. And everyone says, &#8216;Well, why would you go after Dade County?’” Lindell said. &#8220;This is where Ron DeSantis won Dade County, that&#8217;s a Republican won Dade County. Well, for me, I look at deviations, everybody. That&#8217;s a deviation.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe it,&#8221; Lindell claimed. &#8220;So I want to show, it&#8217;s gonna show everybody just like we always say about Democrats where they stole their elections, just like they did, the one nice lady in Georgia that got zero votes in her own precinct. I want to find out in Dade County, what happened there because it&#8217;s, it&#8217;s a deviation from norm, you know, it&#8217;s very much a deviation.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Trump loyalist Mike Lindell says he’s going to audit Governor Ron DeSantis’ election win in Florida because he doesn’t “believe” that DeSantis won. He implies DeSantis “stole” the election.
 <a href="https://t.co/gmholKOyZV">pic.twitter.com/gmholKOyZV</a>
&mdash; Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1605458815184678912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The FBI previously <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/27/us/politics/lindell-mypillow-trump-election-deniers.html">seized</a> Lindell’s cellphone in an investigation into voting machine tampering.
Lindell was <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/19/mike-lindell-lawsuit-voting-machine-company-00057512">ordered</a> by a federal judge that he must face a lawsuit over false claims that he made about voting machines from Smartmatic Corp. after he tried to get the lawsuit dismissed.
Edward Buchanan, Wyoming&#8217;s Republican Secretary of State, slammed Lindell in a <a href="https://sos.wyo.gov/Media/2022/Response_to_Mike_Lindell_Comments_6_20_22.pdf">statement</a> over the summer, warning: &#8220;Mike Lindell is NOT the purveyor of election integrity truth.&#8221;
&#8220;Mike Lindell, peddler of pillows and promises, traveled to Wyoming to speak in conjunction with a political rally,&#8221; Buchanan said. &#8220;While here, he took it upon himself to allege publicly that widespread election fraud occurred in our fair state. He went on to declare that anyone who does not agree with him is a traitor to our country.&#8221;
&#8220;As the Chief Election Officer for the State of Wyoming, it is important for me to ensure that each of you know that Mr. Lindell’s statement is false,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Not only is the allegation he made untrue, it is designed to influence your opinion and obscure the truth. On behalf of Wyoming’s 23 county clerks, and my office, I offer you the truth about Wyoming’s elections.&#8221;
Buchanan continued by debunking the claims that Lindell made:
<blockquote>When Mike Lindell began advertising his groundbreaking cybersecurity conference which would “prove” fraud across the country, my office reached out to his organization. We were eager to find out what evidence he held. Our goal was to become informed about any proof he had so that we could take action. Their response was simple. “If you want the information, you will have to attend the conference.” Think about that for a minute. If you had proof of a crime of Constitutional proportions, wouldn’t you be eager to share it with anyone who asked?
Unwilling to dismiss any allegation of fraud, we followed Mr. Lindell’s direction and I had my Deputy Secretary of State and my Communications Director attend the 72 hour conference virtually &#8211; watching the entire thing. There was no evidence presented. Of course, we did see during the conference, scrolling across the screen, that one could buy his products at a deep discount. We then reached out to Frank Speech, Mr. Lindell’s organization, several times to again request proof of his allegations. They provided us with NOTHING. As of today, the only information we obtained from Mr. Lindell was unearthed by our own staff researching on his website. Each of his claims have been disproven by the work of my staff. Mr. Lindell’s “facts” include the following:
Lindell’s claim: Wyoming had Dominion voting equipment for the 2020 election. 
Fact: In May of 2020, all counties received brand new election equipment with state of the art security. It was first used in the 2020 election and was NOT manufactured by Dominion.
Lindell’s claim: 20,000 votes were stolen from Donald Trump in Wyoming. 
Fact: Graphics that we found on the Frank Speech website regarding election fraud in Wyoming are full of a myriad of numbers of flipped votes from 20,000, 11,222 and 22,444. He can’t even keep his own fraudulent numbers straight. Even his own cyber-security experts have stated he has no credible evidence to support his claims.
Lindell’s claim: Wyoming IP addresses from his website provide “evidence” of actual computers intercepting data regarding the election. 
Fact: The IP addresses provided on his website pointed to computers outside of Wyoming and were not the IP addresses of any county clerk in Wyoming. Further, many of the dates of the alleged “interception” were after the election took place. All 23 county election totals were received by my Office on election night and did not change when the State Canvassing Board met a week later and certified the results.
Lindell’s claim: Wyoming voting machines are connected to the internet. 
Fact: The voting equipment purchased in 2020 and used across the entire state contains neither hardware nor software to allow for internet access.
And finally, I offer each of you some of my own evidence that your vote was counted exactly as you cast it.
Fact: Wyoming voting equipment undergoes both a pre-election &amp; a post-election audit. The 2020 results of the general election indicated 100 percent accuracy across the entire state.
Fact: In the 2020 election, President Trump won by 70% in Wyoming which is consistent with historical trends we have seen in Wyoming with past presidential elections. The only candidate to receive a higher percentage of the vote was President Reagan, winning 73% of the vote in 1984.
Mike Lindell &#8211; the man with the “proof” &#8211; has never contacted my office directly or indirectly to share it. He has never provided anyone with a single piece of information indicating that Wyoming’s elections were tainted. When given a national stage to share his evidence, he simply resorted to calling me, and our county clerks, traitors. While that creates contemptuous pity for Mr. Lindell, I will simply respond with a quote by the great philosopher Socrates, “When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.”
No credible candidate for any office in Wyoming can say that Wyoming lacks election integrity. We consistently make improvements to our technology and processes to match the changes that time inevitably brings and will continue this practice to maintain that integrity.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-my-pillow-ceo-mike-lindell-claims-fbi-surrounded-his-car-seized-cell-phone">My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell Claims FBI Surrounded His Car, Seized Cell Phone</a>

Key Speakers At Conservative Political Action Conference

Mike Lindell To Audit DeSantis’ Historic Re-Election Win: ‘I Don’t Believe It’

Mike Lindell

A Maricopa County judge ruled Monday that Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake will have her day in court to challenge the county&#8217;s ballot chain of custody and the efficacy of voting machine tabulators and printers during the 2022 midterm elections.
Judge Peter Thompson <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/arizona-judge-rules-two-kari-lakes-election-challenge-claims-can-trial">dismissed</a> eight other claims made by Lake in the lawsuit, but he said that a ballot inspection could occur on Tuesday at 8:00 a.m., which comes after Lake asked the Maricopa County officials to hand over several documents related to the election.
&#8220;It should proceed to trial,&#8221; said Kurt Olden, who represented Lake in court, according to a local Fox <a href="https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-judges-hold-hearings-over-2022-elections-latest-updates">affiliate</a>. &#8220;The people should get to see,&#8221; adding the suit is about &#8220;restoring trust in our election system.&#8221;
&#8220;The kind of debacle that happened on November 8 should never happen,&#8221; Olden said. &#8220;There are processes in place to make sure it doesn&#8217;t, and the defendants did not follow those processes — that&#8217;s the point, Your Honor.&#8221;
Lake claims voters were disenfranchised on Election Day from widespread polling issues in Maricopa County after its Recorder Stephen Richer and Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates told voters to cast ballots in secure drop boxes or a different location.
Democratic Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs received about 17,000 more statewide votes than Lake.
&#8220;Lake received the greatest number of votes and is entitled to be named the winner,&#8221; the lawsuit <a href="https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://files.elfsightcdn.com/44a37213-f1ce-431d-a795-e14b313603c7/8b7549fd-d072-4012-b867-13fd45e83459/Kari_Lake_Lawsuit.pdf">reads</a>. &#8220;Alternately, the election must be re-done in Maricopa County to eliminate the effects of maladministration and illegal votes on the vote tallies reported by Maricopa County.&#8221;
Maricopa County, the most populous county in the state, had notable problems during the November 8 election, including printer and tabulation machine-related issues in at least 70 of the county&#8217;s 223 polling locations. Lake claims there were tabulator breakdowns at over 59% of the voting centers within the county on Election Day.
The court granted Lake&#8217;s request to inspect some ballots within the county from Election Day.
Those ballots will include 150 randomly selected early ballots, &#8220;ballot-on-demand&#8221; printed ballots, and &#8220;ballot-on-demand&#8221; printed ballots marked as spoiled on Election Day from six Maricopa County vote centers chosen by Lake&#8217;s representative.
Hobbs&#8217; attorney argued that her former election opponent lacks evidence to support the allegations.
&#8220;In the end, Your Honor, if there is anything rotten in Arizona, it is what this contest represents,&#8221; said Abha Khanna, according to <a href="https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-judges-hold-hearings-over-2022-elections-latest-updates">local media</a>. &#8220;For the past several years our democracy and its basic guiding principles have been under sustained assault from candidates who just cannot or will not accept the fact that they lost.&#8221;
Maricopa County attorneys reportedly argued affidavits from voters showed they had to wait in longer-than-normal lines to cast their ballots but decried any election misconduct or evidence to support such fraudulent claims, including Lake’s lawyers misunderstood how the county’s chain-of-custody process works.
“This allegation is false, and will be easily disproven by the County if necessary,” Maricopa County lawyers <a href="https://www.clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/4321/638067137081570000">wrote</a>. “Plaintiff reviewed the County’s Early Voting Ballot Transport Statements, but the chain of custody documents for election day are different because the process for early ballot delivery is different on election day.”
Following Thompson&#8217;s ruling, Lake took to Twitter, slamming legacy media.
&#8220;The Fake News is in FULL Desperation-Mode,&#8221; Lake said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/KariLake/status/1605053563289231360">tweet</a>. &#8220;These headlines are almost comical. Bottom line—our Election Case is going to Trial starting on Wednesday. @KatieHobbs &amp; @stephen_richer will be taking the stand.&#8221;
In a separate <a href="https://twitter.com/KariLake/status/1605036082755645440">tweet</a>, Lake said, &#8220;Buckle up, America. This is far from over,&#8221; after calling out Hobb&#8217;s failed attempt to have her former opponent&#8217;s case thrown out.
GOP Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem and GOP Attorney General candidate Abe Hamadeh have also filed lawsuits over the controversial election.
The Epoch Times <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/maricopa-judge-takes-motion-to-dismiss-kari-lake-lawsuit-under-advisement_4933302.html">reported</a> that a Maricopa County Superior Court staffer said the judge would likely announce his ruling during a scheduled meeting on the morning of December 22.
 Amanda Prestigiacomo contributed to this report.

Former President Trump And Fellow Conservatives Address Annual  CPAC Meeting

Kari Lake Election Lawsuit Can Go To Trial, Judge Rules

Judge Rules Portion Of Kari Lake Election Lawsuit Can Go To Trial

Failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams boasted a massive fundraising haul of more than $100 million in the 2022 cycle, but now her campaign says it owes money and staffers were reportedly cut from pay shortly after the November election.
The Democrat&#8217;s two-time campaign manager, Lauren Groh-Wargo, told Axios the team owes more than $1 million in debt to vendors after Abrams lost to Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/08/us/elections/results-georgia-governor.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by nearly 300,000 votes</a>.
“We did not just lose, we got blown out,” <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/12/19/stacey-abrams-campaign-georgia-governor-debt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Groh-Wargo told the news outlet</a>. “It was the most sub-optimal situation to be in. And we will be dealing with that situation for some time.”
Although Groh-Wargo said a &#8220;cavalcade of negative press and negative polling&#8221; was a burden on fundraising in the final stretch, Abrams had outraised Kemp via her campaign and leadership committee, One Georgia, with a total of $105.3 million through October 25, according to <a href="https://www.gpb.org/news/2022/11/03/kemp-abrams-blow-away-previous-gubernatorial-campaign-fundraising-record" target="_blank" rel="noopener">finance reports cited by GPB.</a> Kemp, through his campaign and leadership committee, Georgians First, raised $81.5 million up to that point in time.
The GBP report said the total amount raised between the two sides broke the previous record. Together they raised four times the amount Abrams and Kemp did when they first faced off in 2018. Financial disclosures <a href="https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/dates-and-deadlines/2022-reporting-dates/2022-quarterly-filers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for the final quarter of this year</a> are due next month.
Despite her first loss four years ago, Abrams was seen as a rising star within the Democratic Party, and even touted how she would be &#8220;<a href="https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a32132819/stacey-abrams-on-voting-rights-covid-19-and-being-vice-president/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an excellent running mate</a>&#8221; to Joe Biden during his 2020 presidential campaign. Abrams, who previously served in the Georgia House of Representatives, has long been criticized by Republicans and conservative media for her <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/stacey-abrams-tells-rachel-maddow-she-did-not-challenge-the-outcome-of-2018-election" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refusal to concede</a> to Kemp in their first matchup.
A former Abrams campaign staffer <a href="https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/stacey-abrams-campaign-more-than-1-million-in-debt/85-1be7ff03-5b0d-4b67-878b-9968a49c6fc1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told 11Alive</a>, an NBC affiliate in Atlanta, most of the candidate&#8217;s 2022 team of roughly 180 received their final checks on November 15, just one week after Kemp won reelection, though this person noted that health benefits stretched through the month and the campaign&#8217;s human resources department helped members find new jobs. By comparison, Axios reported that staff in Kemp&#8217;s campaign were paid through November and received bonuses.
&#8220;If we had ended the campaign with enough money to pay staff through January, and we lost — I think there would be pieces coming out about why does [the campaign] have like $2 million in bank,&#8221; the former staffer told 11Alive. &#8220;I think the campaign was as transparent about things as it possibly could be.&#8221;
A former Abrams staffer who spoke with Axios was less generous. ​​“I figured, $100 million? They should be able to pay me until December,” this person said.

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