The four largest <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/unions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">public sector unions</a> spent nearly $700 million backing Democrats and leftist causes during last year&#8217;s elections, with nearly 60% of the funds coming from union dues, according to an analysis of spending by the Commonwealth Foundation.
Of the $708.8 million spent on politics during the 2022 midterm elections by the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), about 96% of the money went to Democrat political action committees or other leftist causes, the Commonwealth Foundation <a href="https://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/research/government-unions-fund-politics/">found</a>.
The four unions combined outspent the defense, transportation, and construction industries. “Any progressive organization that you can think of is probably getting something from the unions,” Commonwealth Foundation Senior Fellow for Labor Policy David Osborne told The Daily Wire.
Millions of union PAC dollars went toward leftist groups like For Our Future and dark money group the Sixteen Thirty Fund, as well as Democrat candidates like Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock and Pennsylvania Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro.
While it’s no surprise that unions overwhelmingly back Democrats and Democrat causes, Osborne that many union members likely didn’t know how much their dues were being spent on the “pet political projects” of union leaders rather than representation for members.
“What unions often try to hide is the fact that membership dues can also be used for politics,” he said. “The union doesn’t really have to tell membership what it’s [the money] going to go to. Doesn’t have to take a vote on it. By and large, what they do is, take all that money and then shovel a bunch of it over to a super-PAC, sometimes it’s affiliated with the union so that they can do all kinds of political spending that members may never find out about.”
According to the report, about 57% of the total money spent on politics by the unions came from union dues, while the rest came from state and federal PACs, which union members are encouraged to support.
“When employees learn that their dues are being used to fund political projects, that’s a value in and of itself. There are some things they can do as individuals to cut off the funding if they desire,” Osborne said.
The biggest beneficiary of union dollars was Shapiro, who raked in about $4,540,000 million from the PACs during his campaign for office, the Commonwealth Foundation found. Osborne told The Daily Wire that this number was “absolutely shocking,” pointing out that this amount was three times more than any other individual.
Shapiro <a href="https://www.law.com/thelegalintelligencer/2023/08/28/major-unions-ratify-contract-proposals-with-shapiro-administration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">would</a> later negotiate with members of both the local SEIU and AFSCME, which included an increase in pay and benefits for union members.
Other top recipients of union money at the state level included California Attorney General Rob Bonta ($1,297,200), Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson ($1,179,100), and failed Texas gubernatorial and 2020 presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke ($990,000).
<div id="attachment_666625" style="width: 1005px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-666625" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-666625 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.22.41-PM-995x576.png" alt="" width="995" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.22.41-PM-995x576.png 995w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.22.41-PM-300x174.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.22.41-PM-768x445.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.22.41-PM-1536x890.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.22.41-PM.png 2022w" sizes="(max-width: 995px) 100vw, 995px" />Courtesy: The Commonwealth Foundation.</div>
At the federal level, union PACs gave significantly to Warnock ($60,500), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries ($50,000), and failed Senate candidates Mandela Barnes ($45,000) and Tim Ryan ($42,000).
“In total, PACs tied to the four largest government unions contributed to 282 candidates for the House of Representatives. Of those, 273 were Democrats, seven were Republicans, one was a third-party candidate, and one was an independent,” the report says.
The report made note of the close ties between the unions and President Joe Biden, who has billed himself as the most &#8220;pro-union&#8221; president ever. &#8220;During the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden&#8217;s Centers for Disease Control directly adopted language suggestions from the AFT into the organization&#8217;s school reopening guidelines,&#8221; the report notes.
Text messages <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texts-show-teachers-union-working-with-cdc-director-to-keep-schools-closed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed earlier this year</a> showed AFT President Randi Weingarten and NEA President Becky Pringle texting with former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky about school reopening policies.
<div id="attachment_666631" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-666631" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-666631 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.19.53-PM-1024x544.png" alt="" width="1024" height="544" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.19.53-PM-1024x544.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.19.53-PM-300x159.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.19.53-PM-768x408.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.19.53-PM-1536x815.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.19.53-PM-2048x1087.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Courtesy: The Commonwealth Foundation.</div>
A variety of Democrat-leaning PACs and leftist organizations also pulled in a significant amount of money from union spending. For example, the unions gave a whopping $29,138,171 to the SEIU Political Education and Action Fund, a PAC that primarily backs Democrats for federal office and $13 million to the State Engagement Fund, a Left-wing dark money group. The Senate Majority PAC and the House Majority PAC, which support Democratic majorities in Congress, both received millions of dollars from the union PACs.
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The report found that the union political spending favored Democrats in every state but Alabama, Mississippi, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. The states with the most union political spending were Illinois ($27.9 million), California ($24.9), Minnesota ($13.2 million), Pennsylvania ($12.1 million), and Washington ($7.5 million).
“Armed with millions of members and numerous special privileges, the four largest unions have dedicated significant financial resources toward maintaining and expanding the legal structures from which they derive their power,” the report says, pointing out that union-backed candidates performed well during the midterms, and states like California continue to expand union privileges.
“Government unions use this power not only to advance leftist causes but also to elect political leaders who will protect their interests and influence. The result, unfortunately, is that federal, state, and local governments are increasingly led by politicians who care more about union executives than union members or taxpayers,” Osborne said.

Gubernatorial Candidate Josh Shapiro Campaigns With John Fetterman In Philadelphia

Gov Unions Spent Over Half A Billion Dollars Backing Democrats, The Left During Midterm Elections: Report

2022 Midterms

General

Joe Biden

Josh Shapiro

Labor Unions

Politics

Raphael Warnock

Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

spending

Teachers Unions

A New York appeals court sided with Democrats in a redistricting case that could end up handing the party multiple Republican-held seats in the 2024 elections.
In a split decision, the Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/13/nyregion/redistricting-democrats-ny.html">scrapped</a> New York&#8217;s 2022 map for the U.S. House of Representatives — which enabled Republicans to gain four House seats — restarting a redistricting process that is expected to end up before the Democrat-dominated legislature. 
The court ruled that the competitive map used in the 2022 midterm elections was only a temporary fix and ordered the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) to redraw the map for 2024. However, it is likely that the IRC will not be able to agree on a map, handing the power over to the Democrat-dominated legislature — exactly what <a href="https://pix11.com/news/politics/ny-redistricting-fight-moves-to-state-legislature-after-commission-fails-to-agree-on-new-map/">happened</a> in 2022. 
“The IRC had an indisputable duty under the NY Constitution to submit a second set of maps upon the rejection of its first set … It is undisputed that the IRC failed to perform this duty,” Justice Peter Lynch <a href="https://decisions.courts.state.ny.us/ad3/Decisions/2023/CV-22-2265.pdf">wrote</a> in the decision. 
The legislature then enacted a map that <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/redistricting-2022-maps/new-york/amended_democratic_proposal/">heavily favored</a> their party, but the New York Court of Appeals <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/04/27/1095100208/new-york-redistricting-rejected">struck the map down</a> as a partisan gerrymander, which is illegal under the state’s constitution. 
What is different this time is that the state’s highest court has shifted incredibly to the left since then. This means that the court could uphold a similar map and allow the Democrats to gerrymander several Republicans out of office.
Under the Democrats’ 2022 map, the party had a clear advantage in 22 of the state’s 26 seats. They only <a href="https://www.cnn.com/election/2022/results/new-york">won</a> 15 seats under the neutral <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/redistricting-2022-maps/new-york/">court-drawn map</a>. 
The decision drew immediate condemnation from Republicans. “After failing to win at the ballot box last November, New York Democrats are attempting a blatant partisan power grab thinly disguised as a court case,” Jack Pandol, a spokesman for the House Republicans’ campaign arm, <a href="https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4095448-new-york-court-rules-in-favor-of-democrats-in-redistricting-battle/">said</a> in a statement.
“New York State now has more competitive congressional districts than any state in the nation,” Former Rep. John Faso (R-NY) <a href="https://www.wwnytv.com/2023/07/13/appeals-court-orders-new-congressional-lines-new-york-potential-boon-democrats/">said</a>. “Democrats want to rig the congressional district lines in their favor.”
“When Democrats can’t compete, they cheat. Their illegal gerrymander violated the State Constitution and bucked the will of the voters,” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and state Republican chair Ed Cox said about the Democrats’ 2022 map in a joint statement. 
A new Democrat-drawn map could endanger Republican representatives across the state, including long island Reps. George Santos and Anthony D’Esposito, Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, and Hudson Valley Reps. Michael Lawler, and Marc Molinaro.
Redistricting battles are raging across the country, as the U.S. Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-blocks-alabama-congressional-map-as-discriminatory">struck down</a> a map in Alabama, forcing the state to draw a second majority-black district <a href="https://www.al.com/news/2023/06/gov-kay-ivey-calls-special-session-to-redraw-alabamas-congressional-districts.html">this summer</a>. Republicans in North Carolina also <a href="https://www.wfae.org/politics/2023-06-27/nc-republicans-can-still-gerrymander-maps-after-independent-state-legislature-theory-ruling">seek to draw</a> a more favorable map after the state’s supreme court shifted to the right.

New York US State Law Legal System Concept

Court Orders New York To Draw New Congressional Map, Democrats Expected To Gain Seats

Courts

New York

Redistricting

Two academics at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/stanford-university" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stanford University</a> secured the $250 million bond on behalf of former FTX CEO <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/sam-bankman-fried" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sam Bankman-Fried</a> ahead of his trial, court documents revealed on Wednesday.
Bankman-Fried pleaded <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sam-bankman-fried-pleads-not-guilty-allowed-to-conceal-who-is-securing-his-250-million-bond" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not guilty</a> last month to eight charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the Federal Election Commission through campaign finance violations. His <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/cryptocurrency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cryptocurrency</a> empire collapsed at the end of last year after users and investors learned that FTX had improperly commingled funds with sister trading company Alameda Research.
Mark Cohen, a lawyer for Bankman-Fried who previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sam-bankman-fried-hires-attorney-who-defended-epstein-confidant-ghislaine-maxwell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defended</a> Jeffrey Epstein confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, initially succeeded in requesting that the identities of two unknown individuals who secured the bond remain sealed. Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York later ruled that the names could be made public.
Court documents showed that Larry Kramer, the <a href="https://law.stanford.edu/directory/larry-kramer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dean</a> emeritus of Stanford Law School and president of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Andreas Paepcke, a senior research <a href="https://profiles.stanford.edu/andreas-paepcke" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scientist</a> at Stanford University, were the two individuals who secured the bond. Kramer <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66631291/71/united-states-v-bankman-fried/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> a $500,000 bond, while Paepcke signed a $200,000 bond; Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, the parents of Sam Bankman-Fried and former Stanford Law School professors, also <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23654880/unsealed-ftx-bankman-fried-bond-signed-by-stanford-law-dean-kramer-paepcke-press-unsealed-it-paepcke-here.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secured</a> the bond with the equity in their northern California home.
Kramer said in a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/15/business/sam-bankman-fried-bail-cosigners-stanford/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> to CNN that he has counted Bankman and Fried as close friends for nearly three decades. “During the past two years, while my family faced a harrowing battle with cancer, they have been the truest of friends,” he remarked, adding that there was no “interest in this matter other than to help our loyal and steadfast friends.”
None of the parties will have to pay any amount unless Bankman-Fried does not appear in court proceedings. The disgraced entrepreneur is currently staying in his parents’ home, which is worth approximately $4 million and features <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-4-million-california-home-where-sam-bankman-fried-is-spending-his-house-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">amenities</a> such as three baths, wall-to-wall windows, a study, a gated pool, and a lawn lined by palm trees.
Bankman-Fried, who claimed that he lost his entire multibillion-dollar fortune as FTX collapsed, was originally denied bail due to the significant flight risk he posed.
Federal prosecutors <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sam-bankman-fried-attempted-to-tamper-with-witness-prosecutors-allege" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requested</a> last month that Bankman-Fried become subject to more restrictions during his pretrial release after he allegedly tried to tamper with a witness through the encrypted messaging platform Signal. He reportedly told the current general counsel of FTX US in a message that he “would really love to reconnect and see if there’s a way for us to have a constructive relationship, use each other as resources when possible, or at least vet things with each other.” United States Attorney Damian Williams from the Southern District of New York wrote that the request to “vet things with each other” is suggestive of an attempt to impact the witness’s testimony, while the “constructive relationship” appeal is an invitation to cooperate.
Bankman-Fried generated controversy beyond the cryptocurrency sector because of his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sam-bankman-fried-and-allies-gave-money-to-one-in-three-congress-members-heres-what-they-did-with-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extensive ties</a> to politicians and government officials. He contributed $39 million to Democratic campaigns ahead of the 2022 midterm elections after emerging as the second-largest donor for the Biden campaign in the 2020 cycle; he was granted four <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sam-bankman-fried-visited-biden-white-house-four-times-ahead-of-his-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meetings</a> at the White House in the months before his company filed for bankruptcy.

Sam Bankman-Fried released on $250 million bond after appearing in a US court

Court Reveals Identities Of The People Who Secured Sam Bankman-Fried’s $250 Million Bond

Two Stanford Affiliates Secured Sam Bankman-Fried's $250 Million Bond

2020 Election

2022 Election

Crime

Fraud

Sam Bankman-Fried

Stanford University

An investigation is underway in New Jersey where double counting may have flipped the result of at least one local contest in the 2022 elections.
The state&#8217;s attorney general, Matthew Platkin, <a href="https://www.njoag.gov/ag-platkin-announces-investigation-of-2022-general-election-in-monmouth-county-will-propose-improvements-for-future-election-reforms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced an inquiry</a> last week, citing public reports about voting problems in Monmouth County. “Protecting New Jerseyans’ right to vote in a free and fair election is paramount to our democracy, and ensuring the integrity of that process is essential,” Platkin said in a statement. He added &#8220;a full investigation is warranted to encourage and preserve public trust in our elections, including recommendations for reforms to benefit the conduct of contests statewide.&#8221;
Several municipalities in Monmouth County, located on the coast of central New Jersey, experienced tabulation problems that were apparently only discovered two months after the midterm elections as part of Board of Elections investigation into an unrelated issue, <a href="https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/vote-machine-tabulation-error-shifts-one-local-race-in-monmouth-after-irregularities-discovered/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the New Jersey Globe reported earlier this month</a>. However, the news blog followed up with another report saying <a href="https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/n-j-election-officials-knew-about-voting-machine-issues-in-november/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">county officials were notified</a> about the voting machine issues in November.
While multiple towns were affected, one local race in particular, the contest for Ocean Township Board of Education, was close enough where double voting could flip the results. Steve Clayton, a former board member, emerged victorious over incumbent Jeffrey Weinstein by 20 votes, however an <a href="https://newjerseyglobe.com/campaigns/n-j-county-seeks-recount-after-voting-machines-double-counted-votes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">informal tally</a> showed Weinstein ahead by one vote.
Platkin joined forces with Monmouth County officials on January 20 in asking a court to allow a &#8220;full recount and recheck&#8221; in the towns affected by the voting system error, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/20/politics/new-jersey-attorney-general-emergent-application-recount/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CNN</a>. Clayton took office this month, but acknowledged the final results may change. &#8220;I&#8217;m a board member until I&#8217;m not a board member. My main concern is the integrity of the election and that whoever ends up taking the seat, the people have confidence in the outcome,&#8221; <a href="https://www.app.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/01/19/ocean-township-nj-school-board-race-may-flip-after-election-error/69818554007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he told the Asbury Park Press</a>.
The county’s voting machine vendor, Election Systems and Software (ES&amp;S), blamed &#8220;human procedural error&#8221; for what it described as an &#8220;isolated incident.&#8221; A technician, who was sent over the summer to investigate reports of slow performance in the county&#8217;s internal network, &#8220;excluded a step&#8221; that &#8220;optimizes the system database and ensures USB flash media cannot be read twice during the results loading process,&#8221; an ES&amp;S spokeswoman said.
Platkin said his office retained the law firm Patterson, Belknap, Webb, and Tyler LLP on behalf of the Division on Civil Rights on a pro bono basis to investigate whether any person or entity engaged in unlawful conduct under the New Jersey Civil Rights Act. Peter Harvey, a former New Jersey attorney general and federal prosecutor, was picked to lead the investigation. Harvey brings &#8220;immense experience in civil rights matters and overseeing complex and sensitive investigations,&#8221; per the attorney general&#8217;s office.
Monmouth County officials <a href="https://newjerseyglobe.com/state-government/n-j-attorney-general-to-probe-ess-vote-tabulation-errors-that-caused-some-22-election-results-to-be-double-counted/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said they support</a> any investigation by the New Jersey attorney general into the election software issue and called on the state to implement reforms. ES&amp;S &#8220;pledges to work with Monmouth County to ensure all necessary steps are taken to ensure election accuracy,&#8221; a spokeswoman for the company said.

New Jersey voting

New Jersey Investigates Double Voting That May Have Flipped Local Race

Elections

New Jersey

U.S.

<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;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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

Arizona

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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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

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.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
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;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
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

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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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

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