Trump-aligned Republican Kari Lake has finally lost the race for Arizona governor, according to media calls, with days of post-election tabulation previously keeping the contest too close to make a clear determination of how the results would turn out.
A gathering outside a local headquarters for election authorities in Maricopa County, which was largely in support of Lake’s campaign as the race remained uncalled and counting continued after the election, clearly didn’t exactly effectuate much. In a county with hundreds and hundreds of thousands of voters, the gathering barely cracked a couple hundred attendees, and according to reporting from the scene, there was a guy with camo and a megaphone, another guy with a “Right Wing Death Squad” patch and a mask almost entirely covering his face, and somebody walking around talking about 9/11 conspiracy theories, while members of the crowd also heckled each other. It was a debacle. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) joined those piling on Lake after her loss.
A media call doesn’t represent an official end to an election, but it constitutes a mathematical calculation about the direction results are headed, and it is generally accepted as a standard, at least when it’s from a reputable organization like the Associated Press. As for Cheney and Lake, the now failed Arizona GOP pick for governor mockingly thanked the outgoing Wyoming Congresswoman after she pushed Arizonans to vote against her and for Democrat Katie Hobbs. Lake’s idea was that Cheney’s messaging had the opposite effect and was driving support to the Arizona campaign. Well, that obviously didn’t work out. Digging back up Lake’s original derisive message of thanks, Cheney said this week: “You’re welcome, @KariLake.”
You’re welcome, @KariLake. https://t.co/5jVFIprwxS
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) November 15, 2022
Lake was closely aligned with Trump on issues of election integrity, and Cheney made a point of helping garner opposition to those pushing some version of the ex-president’s nonsense. As governor, Lake could have exerted troubling levels of control over the handling of elections and results from the same, so her defeat constitutes a win for democratic ideals. She isn’t conceding, but such isn’t legally required, and Katie Hobbs will soon be sworn in as the next governor of Arizona.
