Tag: Kari Lake

Arizona Poll Finds Abe Hamadeh Has 23-Point Lead in House Race, Buoyed by Endorsements from Trump, Lake

Tom Pappert
Abe Hamadeh

Abe Hamadeh holds a commanding, 23-point lead in the Republican primary race for the election for the House seat being vacated by Representative Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) according to an internal poll published on Wednesday. The pollsters suggest Hamadeh’s early endorsements from former President Donald Trump and U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake may prove instrumental in securing the support of Arizona Republicans.

The National Public Affairs poll, published by German-owned Politico, found Hamadeh, who last ran to become Arizona Attorney General, has the support of 37 percent of Republicans in the district. Former Senate candidate Blake Masters was the only other candidate to reach double digits, polling in second with 14 percent.

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Oil and Gas Workers’ Association Endorses Arizona’s Kari Lake Following Endorsements of Donald Trump, Abe Hamadeh

Tom Pappert
Kari Lake Arizona

Kari Lake secured the endorsement of the Oil and Gas Workers Association (OGWA) for her U.S. Senate bid on Tuesday, with the group highlighting her commitment to “American energy dominance” in a statement.

Lake revealed the endorsement in a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing that she was “honored” to receive the endorsement from the nonprofit trade association operated by oil and gas workers.

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Kari Lake, Steve Bannon, Vivek Ramaswamy, Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Headline Second Day of TPUSA’s Third Annual AmericaFest

Rachel Alexander

The second day of Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest featured several more prominent conservative speakers Sunday evening. Kari Lake, Steve Bannon, Vivek Ramaswamy, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01), and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-AL-14) riled the crowd up denouncing the Republican establishment and the far left. 

Greene began her talk by observing that “Joe Biden has been in office longer than I’ve been alive.” She said she is “constantly surrounded by people that serve the rest of the world and America last and it makes me so d*** angry every single day that I wrote a book about it.” She said, “They seem to forget that there’s 50 states of the United States of America; they think Ukraine is the 51st state.” 

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State Bar of Arizona Finds Probable Cause Against Kari Lake’s Three Election Attorneys, Gives Them Opportunity to Admit Guilt

Rachel Alexander

The State Bar of Arizona announced that it found probable cause to pursue disciplinary charges against three attorneys representing Kari Lake in her election-related cases. The attorneys are Bryan Blehm, Kurt Olsen, and Andrew Parker. The charges relate to election lawsuits the three filed for Lake. The Arizona Bar has increasingly come under criticism for targeting conservative attorneys.

Blehm, who is accused by the Arizona Bar of criticizing the Arizona Supreme Court for setting up a disinformation task force, told The Arizona Sun Times, “If the ethical rules can be interpreted such that lawyers must remain silent in the face of unconstitutional conduct by the very courts they serve then I question the validity of those ethical rules and/or the veracity of those interpreting them. We are duty bound as attorneys to defend the Constitution of the United States of America and that is the proper function of the courts. When the courts themselves violate the Constitution somebody must say something because there is nowhere left for the people to turn. When our courts fail us, we are no longer a constitutional republic.”

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Gallego Still Silent over Harvard President’s Antisemitism Controversy, Plagiarism Allegations Despite Pressure from Kari Lake, NRSC

Tom Pappert

Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03), who is running to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate, continues to hold his silence regarding Harvard University president Claudine Gay. The congressman’s campaign has not responded to multiple Arizona Sun Times press inquiries after Gay refused to clearly state in Congress that calling for the death of Jews violates the university’s code of conduct, and now faces at least three plagiarism accusations.

The Sun Times reported on Monday that Gallego’s campaign did not respond to a press inquiry seeking a comment about Gay’s controversial testimony. On Tuesday, the Gallego campaign did not respond to a second press inquiry from The Sun Times that asked about about Gay’s antisemitism scandal and the subsequent plagiarism allegations levied against her.

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Sen. Tom Cotton Endorses Kari Lake, ‘The Fighter Arizona Needs’

Tom Pappert

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) endorsed Kari Lake to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate on Monday, stating the former newswoman and gubernatorial candidate “will stand up to the Biden agenda and put Arizonans first” if elected.

Lake wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that she was grateful for Cotton’s endorsement, calling him “a conservative warrior in the Senate.” Lake wrote that she looks “forward to working with Senator Cotton to secure the border” in a future Republican Senate majority.

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Trump Endorses Hamadeh in Heated Arizona Congressional Race

Admin

by Cameron Arcand   Former President Donald Trump endorsed former Republican Arizona Attorney General nominee Abe Hamadeh in the competitive primary race to replace Rep. Debbie Lesko. The endorsement is notable because former Senate nominee Blake Masters is also in the race, and he was also endorsed like Hamadeh was in their losing 2022 bids. In a post on Trump’s social media platform “Truth Social” explaining his decision to give his “Complete and Total Endorsement” to Hamadeh. “Abe Hamadeh is a veteran, a former prosecutor and fearless fighter for our elections,” Trump posted. “He will be a true WARRIOR in Congress, and always put America First!” “He knows that if the flame of freedom is extinguished, it may never come back again,” the former president added. The congressional candidate welcomed the endorsement. “Thank you Mr. President, I can’t wait to fight alongside you to restore the America we love,” Hamadeh posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. 🚨🚨BREAKING🚨🚨 Thank you Mr. President, I can’t wait to fight alongside you to restore the America we love. “President Donald Trump endorses Abe Hamadeh for Congress” pic.twitter.com/U9e0lVG53b — Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) December 8, 2023 Hamadeh and Masters ran as a ticket with former gubernatorial…

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Gallego Silent After Harvard President Refuses to Condemn Antisemitism and Genocide, Despite Bragging About Attending in 2020

Tom Pappert

U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) is holding his silence following an Arizona Sun Times press inquiry on Sunday about the refusal of Harvard University President Claudine Gay to state whether calling for the genocide of Jewish people is considered a violation of the university’s code of conduct.

Gay refused to state whether calls to commit violence and genocide against the Jewish people violated the university’s code of conduct during a five-minute exchange with Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21). Gay repeatedly told Stefanik she finds such remarks and calls to action “personally abhorrent,” but said such language would receive First Amendment protections at Harvard.

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Democrat Election Attorney Marc Elias Takes to Social Media to Launch Ad Hominem Attack Against Arizona Sun Times Reporter Rachel Alexander

Tom Pappert

Democrat election attorney Marc Elias launched an ad hominem attack against Arizona Sun Times reporter Rachel Alexander on X (formerly Twitter) Monday. Alexander has a well deserved reputation as one of the country’s leading reporters on election integrity and lawfare against conservative attorneys. Alexander’s reporting, and some of her subsequent comments on X, have drawn the ire of Elias, who has built a career out of partisan litigation against any election laws and regulations that do not benefit the Democrat Party or Democrat candidates.

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‘Far-Left’ Maricopa County Judge ‘Predictably’ Refuses to Allow Kari Lake to Inspect Ballot Affidavit Envelopes

Rachel Alexander
Judge John Hannah

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah issued a ruling Wednesday denying Kari Lake’s special action that requested to inspect the ballot affidavit envelopes, or the electronic images of those envelopes, from Maricopa County’s 2022 general election. The recorder’s office denied Lake’s initial public records request for the affidavits because they contained voters’ signatures, so she sued the county. During the September trial, Hannah refused to allow most of Lake’s witnesses to testify or her exhibits into evidence.

Shelby Busch, the co-founder of We the People AZ Alliance, which has been investigating illegal election activities for the Lake campaign, told The Arizona Sun Times, “Judge Hannah’s decision was predictably bad. Denying Kari the ability to put forward witnesses, testimony or even a rebuttal to the County is further evidence that he is a far-left Judge trying to legislate from the bench. This is the people’s election and denying them the right to inspect public records is further confirmation that protecting the corrupt institution is their primary goal. Journalists everywhere should be outraged, this is a huge miscarriage to public transparency and accountability, but how many of them will step up?”

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Sen. Steve Daines Calls Kari Lake ‘One of the Most Talented Politicians’ Running in 2024, Predicts ‘She Will Be the Nominee’

Tom Pappert

Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) described former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake as one of the “most talented politicians” running in the Republican Party in an interview on Tuesday. He added that he considers her the inevitable Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Arizona, and predicted she will win the general election if she continues to successfully court independent voters.

“She’s one of the most talented politicians we have running in the 2024 cycle,” Daines told The Daily Mail while speaking in his capacity as the chairman of the influential National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). The outlet reported that Daines stressed Lake “will be the nominee,” and said the Republicans have become “friends.”

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NRSC Launches Arizona Ad Campaign, Labels Rep. Gallego, Sen. Sinema ‘Deadbeat Dad’ and ‘Liberal Democrat’

Tom Pappert

The influential National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released a new advertisement targeting Arizona voters on Monday that labels Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) a “deadbeat dad” and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) a “liberal Democrat.” The ad is the latest indication the political action committee will support Lake, should she secure the Republican nomination.

In a 30-second ad, the narrator bemoaned “Rotten Ruben Gallego” for being “a spokesman for a crooked bank that targeting immigrants,” referencing a March report exposing a bank he founded that was meant to cater to illegal immigrants. Federal regulators eventually determined the bank’s founder illegally sold shares.

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Schumer Called Sinema ‘Extremely Helpful’ Before Vote to Thwart Tuberville’s Pentagon Abortion Protest

Tom Pappert
Senator Chuck Schumer

Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) received high praise from Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) prior to the successful vote of a bill she championed that is aimed at thwarting the effort of Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). Tuberville is stalling promotions of high ranking military officials until the Pentagon ends its new policy of funding abortion travel for its employees.

Sinema successfully passed legislation last week that will allow the U.S. Senate to vote to confirm the promotions of more than 300 high ranking military officials at once, which she said is necessary because the Senate would otherwise struggle to handle the volume once Tuberville’s protest ends or is bypassed.

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New Brief Filed in Kari Lake’s Election Challenge Alleges Maricopa County ‘Lied’ About the 2022 Logic and Accuracy Testing and ‘A Plan to Rig the Election’

Rachel Alexander

Kari Lake filed a reply brief in her election case appeal with the Arizona Court of Appeals on Tuesday. It accused Maricopa County of rigging the 2022 election, and said the county admitted wrongdoing in its answering brief. Her appeal is asking to overturn the lower court’s ruling rejecting her Rule 60(b) motion, which asked to consider new evidence that had arisen since the trial. A Rule 60(b) motion asks the court for relief from an entry or judgment, which the trial court refused to grant after her trial.

Drafted by attorney Bryan Blehm and signed also by Lake’s attorney Kurt Olsen, the summary in the introduction stated, “In its Answering Brief, Maricopa makes demonstrably false or misleading arguments to distract the Court from the evidence and admissions showing that Maricopa blatantly violated Arizona election laws, falsely certified it conducted L&A testing on October 11, 2022, and apparently rigged the November 2022 Election to fail on Election Day.” 

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Poll Shows Kari Lake Has 26-Point Lead Among Arizona Republicans

Tom Pappert

Polling released on Thursday by an Arizona pollster showed former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake with a commanding 26-point lead in the race for the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) nomination for U.S. Senate.

Conducted between October 25 and October 31, the Noble Predictive Insights (NPI) poll showed Lake has the support of 40 percent of Arizona’s Republican primary voters. Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb (R) placed in second place with 14 percent of support.

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Poll Reportedly Shows Sen. Sinema Losing Re-Election Despite ‘Pulling Votes from Lake’ in 3-Way Contest

Tom Pappert

A new survey reportedly conducted last month was revealed Monday, and suggests Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) is polling in third place against Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) and former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, despite apparently pulling a significant number of Republican voters.

The poll was commissioned by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and obtained by Puck News. The poll allegedly shows Gallego in first place with the support of 41 percent of Arizona voters and Lake in second place with 37 percent. Sinema finished in a distant third place, with the support of just 17 percent of Arizonans.

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Senator Sinema Calls Herself Arizona’s ‘Most Liberal Legislator’ in Newly Resurfaced Audio

Tom Pappert

Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) declared herself to be “the most liberal legislator in the State of Arizona” in a 2006 radio interview that was shared by Kari Lake’s campaign for Senate on Tuesday.

The newly resurfaced video was recording during Sinema’s appearance on “The Ed Schultz Show” in February, 2006. Sinema, who was a state legislator at the time, declared herself to be the “most liberal” of her colleagues after Schultz asked about her political identity.

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Arizona’s Kari Lake Endorsed by Texas Republicans Ken Paxton, Chad Prather

Tom Pappert

Kari Lake secured endorsements from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and former Texas gubernatorial candidate Chat Prather for her 2024 bid to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate, with both men endorsing Lake by Monday.

Prather, who railed against establishment Republicans when he unsuccessfully challenged Texas Governor Greg Abbott in the 2022 Republican Primary, endorsed Lake on Sunday according to Lake’s social media, with Prather reportedly saying she “will make a phenomenal senator.”

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Kari Lake Files Bar Complaint Against Hobbs’ Attorney in Election Lawsuit over Statements Regarding Her U.S. Senate Race Announcement

Rachel Alexander

Kari Lake filed a bar complaint against Katie Hobbs’ attorney, Alexis Danneman of Perkins Coie, on Monday over “false statements” Danneman may have made regarding Lake’s announcement that she was running for U.S. Senate. Danneman, who is representing Hobbs in Lake’s lawsuit challenging Hobbs’ gubernatorial win over Lake, sent Lake’s attorneys an email last week stating that she had violated the state’s resign to run laws and must drop her election challenge.

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Arizona Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Kari Lake Calls on Rivals Gallego and Sinema to Condemn Campaign Donor, Council on American-Islamic Relations

M.D. Kittle

GOP U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake is calling on her rivals in the critical race to condemn the anti-Israel Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and their Israel-hating keynote speaker, U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib (R-MI-12).

Tlaib, a Palestinian American member of the House’s radical “Squad” and ardent supporter of the leftist Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, is scheduled to speak at the Arizona chapter of CAIR’s annual banquet, slated for Nov. 18 in Mesa. 

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Arizona Democrats Silent After Rep. Gallego Refuses Questions over Israel and Palestine Record

Tom Pappert

The Arizona Democratic Party (AZDP) did not respond to a comment request from The Arizona Sun Times on Monday after news of its $10,000 donation to the Senate campaign of Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) broke the same day the Senate candidate refused to answer questions about his voting record on Palestine and Israel.

Gallego was captured refusing to answer five questions about his votes that would either provide aid to the Hamas terrorist group or deny aid to Israel on Thursday in a video uploaded to social media by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).

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Abe Hamadeh Launches Arizona House Campaign After Rep. Debbie Lesko Announces Retirement

Tom Pappert

Abe Hamadeh, the former Republican candidate for Arizona Attorney General, announced on Tuesday that he intends to run for U.S. House to represent Arizona’s 8th District following the news that Representative Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) will not seek re-election in 2024.

“Our country is in desperate need of courageous fighters, and that’s why I’m proud to announce I’m running for Congress in Arizona’s 8th District,” wrote Hamadeh in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The candidate added that former President Donald Trump “is under attack” and “needs backup.” Hamadeh concluded, “I’m ready to help [Trump] Make America Great Again.”

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Senate Republican Conference Chair Endorses Kari Lake, Predicts She ‘Will Shine Brightly for Arizona’

Tom Pappert

Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake received a key endorsement on Monday from Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), the chair of the Senate Republican Conference, after officially announcing her candidacy for the U.S. Senate last week. In a statement to The Arizona Sun Times, Lake said she looks forward to working with Barrasso and other Senate Republicans with whom she shares priorities.

Barrasso said “Kari Lake will shine brightly for Arizona,” according to a statement obtained by German-owned Politico. Barrasso called lake “a generational communicator who is giving voice to Arizona citizens,” and said she “is in this race to make Arizona and America stronger.”

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Kari Lake to Enter Arizona Senate Race with Slight Lead over Gallego, Sinema: Poll

Tom Pappert

Former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake officially announced her campaign for Arizona Senate on Tuesday, having previously filed paperwork to run in early October. Though she has yet to secure the Republican Party’s nomination, polling released this week suggests she enters the race as the front runner against both Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) and incumbent Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ).

In a three-way race, pollsters at Republican-leaning National Research Inc. reported on Tuesday that 37 percent of Arizonans will back Lake. Gallego polled in second, with 33 percent of support, while Sinema was supported by just 19 percent of respondents. Pollsters say 10 percent remained undecided.

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Kari Lake Officially Announces U.S. Senate Race to Packed Crowd of over a Thousand

Rachel Alexander

Kari Lake officially announced her entry into the U.S. Senate race in Arizona Tuesday evening at Jetset Magazine in Scottsdale. Incumbent Kyrsten Sinema, now an independent, is expected to run again, and Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) appears to have the Democratic primary locked up. Lake will face Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in the Republican primary. Over a thousand showed up for the event, completely filling the area outside the business. Donald Trump appeared by video to endorse Lake.

Abe Hamadeh, who is still challenging his 280-vote loss to Democrat Kris Mayes in the attorney general’s race, gave a brief speech first. He slammed the politicians concerned more about their “decadent, self-serving cocktail parties,” and in a reference to his previous military experience, said he was ready to be “down in the trenches” with Lake and the campaign.

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Abe Hamadeh to Endorse Kari Lake for U.S. Senate Ahead of October 10 Announcement

Tom Pappert

Former Arizona Attorney General candidate Abe Hamadeh endorsed former gubernatorial candidate and news anchor Kari Lake in her upcoming bid for U.S. Senate in Arizona during a podcast appearance on Thursday, declaring her to be “an incredible friend and ally” who will support former President Donald Trump and his agenda in Washington. D.C.

Hamadeh declared he intends to formally endorse Lake during an appearance on The Gateway Pundit’s “TGP Recap” Thursday, telling reporter Jordan Conradson he was excited to see Lake take her “fight to Washington.”

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Kari Lake Files to Run for US Senate in Arizona Ahead of October 10 Announcement

Tom Pappert

Former Arizona news anchor and gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake filed Federal Election Commission (FEC) paperwork to run for U.S. Senate to represent Arizona in 2024 on October 3, with the filing coming only days after she announced a “Kari Lake Announcement Rally” in Phoenix on October 10.

Lake will be the second major Republican to declare their candidacy for the office, and will enter the race as an early favorite, with polling from August suggesting Lake will handily win the primary contest.

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Report: Kari Lake to Wage Senate Bid Against Sinema, Gallego

The Center Square

Republican Kari Lake is reportedly going to announce her run for United States Senate in Arizona on Oct. 10, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Shortly after the report, a media advisory was sent out from Lake’s team saying the former gubernatorial nominee is “expected to make an announcement about her future alongside thousands of Arizonans” with a rally in the Phoenix area.

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Trial Wraps Up in Kari Lake’s Lawsuit to View Ballot Signature Affidavits from Maricopa County, Judge Allows None of Her Witnesses or Exhibits

Rachel Alexander

A lawsuit Kari Lake filed over Maricopa County’s refusal to let her use public records law to inspect ballot affidavits, which are signatures from voters on the mail-in envelopes for their ballots, ended after a two-day trial on Monday. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah, who was appointed to the bench by Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano, refused to allow any of Lake’s several proposed witnesses to testify or allow any of her exhibits into evidence.

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Kyrsten Sinema Lays Out Unorthodox ‘Path to Victory’ in Swing-State Arizona

Admin

Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona argued her “path to victory” to reclaim her Senate seat in 2024 would be to garner more support from Republicans than Democrats and win the majority of independent voters, according to a donor memo reported by NBC News on Monday.

Sinema has yet to launch a reelection bid, but could face Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and former Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, who is inching toward a campaign, in a general election next year. The senator’s memo argues that if she runs for another term, Sinema could secure the seat with  60 percent to 70 percent support from independents, as well as 25 percent to 35 percent of Republicans and 10 percent to 20 percent of Democrats, according to NBC News.

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Trial Begins over Maricopa County’s Refusal to Let Kari Lake Examine Ballot Envelope Signatures

Rachel Alexander

A trial began on Thursday over a lawsuit Kari Lake filed against Maricopa County objecting to its refusal to allow her to use public records law to inspect ballot affidavits, which are signatures from voters on the mail-in envelopes for their ballots. A significant portion of Lake’s ongoing election lawsuit alleges that ballots were counted without adequate signature verification. Much of the testimony consisted of going over other ways signatures are public, such as on recorded deeds. 

Lake posted on X, “This is a big day in our fight to restore transparency to Arizona’s elections. Ballot envelopes are legal affidavits. A judge already informed Maricopa County that he is ‘not convinced that the ballot affidavit is a voter registration record.’ He’s right. They contain the same PUBLIC information that people divulge when they sign petitions. There is no privacy exception applicable here. We The People have EVERY right to evaluate the signatures. We are excited to make our case before the court today.”

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Kari Lake Files Opening Brief with Arizona Court of Appeals in Election Lawsuit Containing New Evidence and Alleging Crimes

Rachel Alexander

Kari Lake’s appeal of the second dismissal of her lawsuit by the trial court judge is winding its way back up through the courts. Last week, she filed her opening brief with the Arizona Court of Appeals. Much of the brief focused on Maricopa County’s failure to conduct Logic & Accuracy (L&A) testing and the failure to compare voters’ signatures on their mail-in ballot affidavits to the signatures on their voter registrations, both a violation of state law and the state’s Election Procedures Manual (EPM). Violations of the EPM are class 2 misdemeanors.

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Arizona Expected to Receive Over $800 Million in 2024 Political Advertising, Most of Any Battleground State

Tom Pappert

Arizona is projected to be the recipient of nearly $1 billion in political advertising during the 2024 cycle, meaning the Grand Canyon State will receive the highest share of spending of any battleground state, and the second highest of any state in the union, should the projections be correct.

The state is expected to see about $821 million in advertising over the 2024 political cycle, according to a new report published by AdImpact. Arizona will receive almost $100 million more than the second highest battleground state, Pennsylvania, which is estimated to receive $725 million.

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Commentary: Will a Three-Way Race in Arizona Deliver the U.S. Senate to Republicans?

Admin

Of all the low-hanging senatorial fruit in 2024 — see red states with blue senators in West Virginia, Montana, and Ohio, to name three — if not the ripest for conservative pickup, then at least the juiciest might be the three-way contest that is liable to heat up in the Arizona desert.

There, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat-turned-independent incumbent, if she decides to defend her seat, will face an extreme progressive challenger on the left and, possibly, one of the Trumpiest of Trumpists on the right, Kari Lake, who may find herself in a primary battle with a slightly lesser Trumpist in Blake Masters, who lost the other Senate seat in 2022 to Mark Kelly.

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9th Circuit Court of Appeals Hears Kari Lake Vote Tabulator Case

Tom Pappert

A lawsuit brought by former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake prior to the 2022 elections was heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday. Lawyers representing Lake, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D), and Maricopa County were in court at the Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix before a panel of three judges.

Lake, alongside former Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem, brought the lawsuit on April 2022, and it was dismissed in August. By December, a district court judge had awarded $122,000 in sanctions against the attorneys for Lake and former Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem in the case, including against well known legal scholar Alan Dershowitz.

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Blake Masters to Enter U.S. Senate Race, Will Face Kari Lake and Sheriff Mark Lamb in GOP Primary

Rachel Alexander

According to The Wall Street Journal, Blake Masters is about to announce a run for the U.S. Senate, potentially as soon as next week. Masters lost the Arizona senate race last year to incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly and will join a Republican primary field that includes Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. Kari Lake is expected to announce her run in October. Incumbent Kyrsten Sinema, who switched her party registration from Democrat to Independent and is now seen as vulnerable, has not announced whether she is running for re-election. State Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) is widely expected to obtain the Democratic nomination, challenging her from the Left.

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Arizona State University Joins Kari Lake’s Motion to Dismiss Stephen Richer’s Defamation Complaint Against Her

Rachel Alexander

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer filed a defamation lawsuit in June against Kari Lake on June 22 over her statements alleging election fraud in Maricopa County, and now ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law  First Amendment Clinic is joining Lake in her defense. The clinic co-authored a motion to dismiss with Lake’s attorneys, which was filed on August 21. 

Jennifer Wright, one of Lake’s attorneys who previously served as the Election Integrity Unit civil attorney for the Attorney General’s Office, said in a statement provided to The Arizona Sun Times, “In 2022, the legislature strengthened laws protecting the rights of citizens to speak freely on matters of public concern. Richer’s lawsuit is precisely the kind of abuse of the legal system the law was designed to stop. I have every confidence the court will agree, and dismiss the lawsuit.” 

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Conservative Firebrand Kari Lake Plans to Serve as a Surrogate for Trump at Wednesday’s GOP Presidential Candidates’ Debate

M.D. Kittle

Arizona Republican Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake will be in attendance at Wednesday’s first Republican presidential candidates’ debate in Milwaukee, and she plans to speak up for an absent former President Donald Trump.

Lake, a close Trump ally, tells The Star News Network that she will do everything in her power to return the former president to the White House.

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Arizona Lawmakers React to Trump Indictment in Georgia Election Probe

Hannah Poling

Arizona lawmakers voiced their opinions following a Georgia grand jury indictment of former President Donald Trump.

A Georgia grand jury approved 10 indictments in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ election probe, which included Trump, who is running for president, along with 18 others.

A Georgia grand jury approved 10 indictments in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ election probe, which included Trump along with 18 others.

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U.S. Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno Announces County Captains in Over 50 Ohio Counties

Hannah Poling

On Monday, Republican businessman and candidate for U.S. Senate Bernie Moreno announced county captains in over 50 counties across Ohio in his campaign for the U.S. Senate against Ohio Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in 2024.

According to a press release e-mailed to reporters, these county captains will help implement Moreno’s campaign strategy in each of the 50 counties represented and will serve as a hub of operations.

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Kari Lake Reportedly Plans Arizona Senate Bid for October as Poll Shows Her Ahead 31 Points

Tom Pappert

Former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is reportedly planning a campaign for U.S. Senate that will launch in October, with the news breaking after a poll showed her with a 31-point lead over Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb among Arizona Republicans if she should enter the race.

Lake is reportedly “staffing up” for a Senate campaign and will spend much of September conducting interviews and making hires for an October launch, according to a report from Axios. The former news anchor seemed to foreshadow the decision during her time in Ohio with Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, saying she “might have to join” Moreno and Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) in the Senate.

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Accusations of Fraud and Illegal Activity Pile Up Regarding Arizona’s Elections

Rachel Alexander

Kari Lake and Abe Hamadeh continue to contest their election losses in the 2022 election for governor and attorney general respectively, producing ongoing new evidence of irregularities and possible wrongdoing in the election. Much of the evidence has taken months to come out, including evidence related to the problematic 2020 presidential election, due to stonewalling by Maricopa County and other government agencies at turning it over. Maricopa County mostly ignored four repeat requests for data and equipment regarding the 2020 election from Jennifer Wright, the Election Integrity Unit civil attorney for the Attorney General’s Office, who resigned at the end of 2022 and now represents Hamadeh in his election contest. 

Much of the evidence appears to show violations of the state’s Election Procedures Manual, which are Class 2 misdemeanors. While not all of the alleged violations can be described as fraud, many of them can be characterized as alleged criminal activity. Here is a look back at some of the most serious complaints regarding alleged wrongdoing during Arizona’s 2020 and 2022 elections. 

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Arizona Republicans Prefer Kari Lake for Senate in Poll Showing Sheriff Lamb Trails Rep. Gallego

Tom Pappert

Kari Lake, the former gubernatorial candidate, has emerged as the preferred choice for U.S. Senate among a plurality of Arizona Republicans, with a 31-point lead over Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in a recent poll. The data also showed Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) winning a three-way contest between Lamb and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ).

Lake was the first choice of 42 percent of Arizona Republicans, according to a recent Emerson College Polling survey. Pollsters found just 11 percent of respondents preferred Lamb. An additional 7 percent of Republicans support former Senate candidate Blake Masters, 2 percent support businessman Jim Lamon, and 2 percent support Brian Wright.

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Bernie Moreno and Kari Lake Rally Ohio Republicans to Vote in Support of Issue 1

Hannah Poling

On Monday, Republican businessman and candidate for U.S. Senate Bernie Moreno and Arizona Republican politician and former candidate for Arizona Governor Kari Lake rallied Republicans to vote in support of Ohio State Issue on August 8th.

Moreno and Lake attended a county Republican rally in Cleveland in support of Ohio State Issue 1 to raise the threshold to amend the state constitution. They spoke to hundreds of voters at the Get Out the Vote Rise and Shine Rally at the Strongsville GOP in Parma.

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Kari Lake Endorses Republican Businessman Bernie Moreno for U.S. Senate at Ohio GOP Rally

Hannah Poling

On Sunday, Arizona Republican politician and former candidate for Arizona Governor Kari Lake announced her endorsement for Republican businessman Bernie Moreno in his run for U.S. Senate against Ohio Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in 2024.

Lake made the announcement at a county Republican rally north of Columbus that she attended along with Moreno, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and U.S. Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) in support of Ohio State Issue 1 to raise the threshold to amend the state constitution. Lake spoke to about 500 people at the Union County Republican Party Summer Farm Fest in Marysville.

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Joe Rogan: ‘Real Fraud’ Happened in Kari Lake’s Election, ‘Some Real Shenanigans’

Tom Pappert

Podcaster Joe Rogan asserted that “real fraud” happened in Arizona’s 2022 elections, calling the breakdown of election equipment on that day “shenanigans” that impacted the outcome of the race.

Rogan made his remarks about the Arizona election during an interview with Valuetainment founder Patrick Bet-David on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” asking the entrepreneur, “How much election fraud do you think is real,” before adding, “because I don’t think it’s zero.”

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