Arizona GOP Gov. Doug Ducey Congratulates Gov.-Elect Katie Hobbs As Kari Lake Refuses to Concede

Outgoing Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey congratulated Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs on Wednesday even as her Republican opponent refuses to concede, The Associated Press reports.

Lake, a former news anchor that mounted a Trump-backed campaign stoking lies about the 2020 election, has refused to concede her defeat after losing to Hobbs by less than a percentage point.

Lake has called the election “botched,” citing voting tabulator problems at a large number of Maricopa County voting locations on Election Day, though election officials have repeatedly said that all valid votes were ultimately counted.

Lake has suggested that she may file a legal challenge, though it’s unclear how much that could actually do.

Ducey moving on:

Despite Lake stoking conspiracy theories about the vote, the state’s incumbent Republican governor is moving on.

Ducey met with Hobbs on Wednesday and issued a statement acknowledging her win.

“All of us have waited patiently for the democratic process to play out,” Ducey said in a statement. “The people of Arizona have spoken, their votes have been counted and we respect their decision.”

It was Ducey’s first public statement on the race, though he called to congratulate Hobbs a day after the Associated Press projected her as the winner.

Ducey is the co-chair of the Republican Governors Association, which spent more than $10 million to attack Hobbs.

Ducey was not a big Lake supporter, endorsing her rival in the primary and declining to campaign with her despite endorsing the entire Republican ticket after she won the nomination.

GOP challenge:

While Lake has not filed a lawsuit, GOP Attorney General candidate Abe Hamadeh filed a lawsuit asking a court to count hundreds of mail-in votes that were labeled as marked by people who also voted in person and declare him the winner.

“Abe Hamadeh’s complaint is devoid of actual facts,” Dan Barr, an attorney for Democratic candidate Kris Mayes, said in a statement. “It does not plausibly allege that mistakes in the administration of the election actually occurred, and if they did occur, that they would have made any difference in the result.”

 

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