A judge for the Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County dismissed a lawsuit by former Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake on Monday, denying Lake’s final claims of election misconduct in the 2022 Arizona general election.
Judge Peter Thompson held there was no evidence to find misconduct under Arizona statute § 16-672(A)(1), which describes the circumstances for contesting a state election resulting from election board or officer misconduct. The court also confirmed the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election results, affirming current Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs as the winner.
On Tuesday, Lake announced the “largest ballot chasing operation” in the history of the US to combat the “steal of another election.” Of the court’s ruling, Lake said:
The courts just ruled that this corrupt election will stand. The courts just ruled that our elections can run lawlessly. The courts have ruled that anything goes. Well, we can play by those same rules. We are going to start chasing ballots like you have never seen. We’ve got to work in this rigged, corrupt system.
In December 2022, an Arizona district court confirmed Hobbs’ election and ordered Lake to pay Hobbs’ court fees that resulted from the election challenge. Lake previously alleged she was the rightful winner of the 2022 election and asked the court to redo the election in Maricopa County amidst her allegations of “illegal” votes.