Katie Hobbs says Arizona chose ‘sanity over chaos’ after Kari Lake’s defeat

1668578400A new Politico-Morning Consult poll has shown that former President Donald Trump’s popularity with Republican-leaning voters might be waning after midterm elections.Among voter surveyed, 65 per cent said the ex-president should probably or definitely not run again. Of those voters, 53 per cent were in the ‘definite’ camp.Those numbers haven’t shifted significantly since before Election Day, when the same polling group found that the twice-impeached former president stood at 48 per cent. But it does show that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s star is rising, with the governor shooting up from 26 per cent to 33 per cent.Alex Woodward16 November 2022 06:001668571201Fox News personality Sean Hannity was in the middle of his programme’s broadcast on Monday night when the Associated Press and networks – including Fox – projected that Kari Lake would lose the Arizona governor’s race to Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs, who is currently the secretary of state.Mr Hannity said that because she is secretary of state that she should not even have run for office. Right-wing media did not make the same kind of statements after Republican Brian Kemp was elected governor in Georgia in 2018 while secretary of state.’Fox is projecting that Democratic Secretary of State – who should have recused herself – Katie Hobbs has been elected governor of Arizona,’ he said.Alex Woodward16 November 2022 04:001668564001Arizona GOP chair Kelli Ward, whose party tanked in statewide elections, is likely to have her phone records in the hands of the House select committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol.She was among so-called ‘alternate electors’ in a scheme to falsely declare Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election. The plot relied on a bogus legal theory involving a slate of fraudulent certificates from key states that falsely asserted Mr Trump’s electoral college votes.On Monday, the US Supreme Court gave the committee the greenlight to access those records.Kelli Ward is among so-called ‘alternate electors’ targeted by House committee’s investigation Alex Woodward16 November 2022 02:001668560401Donald Trump will likely not be able to directly spend the $69m that he has raised through his political action committee.His Save America PAC is considered a leadership PAC, which legally cannot be converted into a campaign account.The former president is set to announce his 2024 bid on Tuesday evening Alex Woodward16 November 2022 01:001668553200Senator Rick Scott will challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for control of GOP leadership in the upper chamber, a move that comes days after Mr McConnell’s caucus failed to unseat a 50-vote Democratic majority in the midterm elections.The Independent’s John Bowden reports from Washington DC:Move will likely have Trump’s backing as ex-president seeks to purge GOP of disloyal figures Alex Woodward15 November 2022 23:001668547801Arizona’s Democratic Senator Mark Kelly won re-election last week, defeating Trump-endorsed Republican Blake Masters.But he refused to concede, despite networks projecting his loss within days after Election Day. The Associated Press called the race at 10pm on Friday.One week after Election Day, Mr Masters has called to congratulate his opponent:Alex Woodward15 November 2022 21:301668546001Kari Lake has refused to concede the race for Arizona governor, while her campaign has shared videos of people accusing election officials and poll workers of malfeasanceHer campaign’s ‘war room’ Twitter account has accused her opponent and current secretary of state Katie Hobbs as well as election officials in Maricopa County of running a ‘third world election’ that is ‘creating a whole generation of new ‘election deniers’.’Videos shared by the campaign show voters detailing problems with ballot processing machines, which election officials had admitted were an issue as technical difficulties led to delays and frustrations.There was a solution: Voters could place their ballots in a secure box at each polling location used for that exact issue. ‘Box 3′ boxes have been the subject of conspiracy theories and rampant speculation, suggesting that the ballots were tossed out entirely.Some of Ms Lake’s chief allies told voters not to trust them. Ms Lake later told her supporters that it was safe.Among those allies telling people not to trust Box 3?Kelli Ward, chair of the state GOP:Alex Woodward15 November 2022 21:001668544516State Treasurer Kimberly Yee received the most votes among Republicans running for statewide office in Arizona.She was also one of the few GOP officials in the state who did not receive Trump’s endorsement, and was not associated with Kari Lake, Blake Masters and other far-right candidates running on the former president’s bogus fraud narrative.Now right-wing figures and media personalities are confused how or why Republican voters could split their ticket, ultimately netting Ms Yee more votes than her election-denying GOP counterparts. Instead, they’re baselessly suggesting widespread fraud (to the tune of 200,00-plus votes) got Ms Yee elected. Ms Yee dropped out of the GOP primary after the former president backed her then-opponent Kari Lake. Instead, Ms Lee – a popular Republican figure in the state – ran a quiet campaign for treasurer.Alex Woodward15 November 2022 20:351668542401Republican state Senator Nancy Barto lost a race to hold on to her seat after Democratic candidate Christine Marsh defeated the longtime legislator.Ms Barto was the chief sponsor of a bill to ban abortion in the state at 15 weeks of pregnancy, mirroring the Mississippi law at the centre of the US Supreme Court’s decision to revoke a constitutional right to abortion care.I’m proud of the campaign we ran. I congratulate my opponent on her victory,’ Ms Barto said.Alex Woodward15 November 2022 20:001668540601Kari Lake continues to refuse to concede her race against Katie Hobbs, which was called by numerous news networks Monday evening after a batch of votes from Maricopa County further solidified her opponent’s lead.Now, the Republican’s defiant message for her followers on Twitter is being mocked by Ms Hobbs’s supporters and Democrats around the country.Arizona gubernatorial candidate was leading spreader of Trump’s election conspiracies Alex Woodward15 November 2022 19:30