While she’s currently trailing Democrat Katie Hobbs in Arizona governor’s race, Republican Kari Lake says she’s confident that she will take the lead when the remaining 800 thousand or so ballots are counted.
In a speech Tuesday night at her election night headquarters, Lake lamented that conservative voters showed up at the polls in Maricopa County early Tuesday morning, “only to be told the election equipment didn’t work.”
Approximately 25 percent of all voting machines in Maricopa County had printing issues, according to Fox News, and 20 percent of the Dominion vote tabulators malfunctioned.
“The fake media back there tried to tell us we were wrong for asking questions about our elections,” Lake continued. “Guess what?” she added, we are going to win this.”
Lake vowed to “restore honesty to Arizona’s elections” when she takes office, while noting that nothing she has achieved thus far has been easy.
“When corruption has risen to the level that its at right now, it takes tough, strong people,” she stressed.
But after the “incompetency plays itself out,” Lake continued, “we will win, and I think it will be within hours.”
Lake promised to do in Arizona what Republican Governor Ron DeSantis was able to do in Florida to strengthen election integrity. “We will declare victory, and we will get to work turning this around. No more incompetency, and no more corruption in Arizona’s elections.”
Lake said she felt like the 2022 election is Arizona was like “Groundhog Day.”
“We had November 3, 2020, that was called incompetency 101,” Lake said. “Then we had August 22, 2022, incompetency in elections 202. And now we’re at incompetency in elections 303.”
“We need honest elections and we’re going to bring them to you, Arizona, I assure you of that. The system we have right now does not work,” Lake declared.
"We will take the victory when it comes. And we will turn this state around!"
Watch @KariLake's full speech at the election night party! pic.twitter.com/cDgNDLcIbZ
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) November 9, 2022
As ballot drops heavily favoring Lake continued to roll in overnight, the mood of Lake’s campaign was described as “jubilant.”
Wednesday morning, with 66 percent reporting, the vote count for governor of Arizona stood at 50.3 percent for Hobbs and 49.7 percent for Lake.
Update:
Wednesday morning, Lake tweeted: “remaining Election Day and early drop-offs were “breaking BIGLY” for her.
“Wow, We’re going to win big,” she added in a subsequent tweet.
Wow. We’re going to win big.
Stay tuned, Arizona!— Kari Lake (@KariLake) November 9, 2022
Republican Senatorial candidate Blake Masters also expressed confidence on Twitter that he will win.
With the remaining ballots outstanding, we are confident we will win.
— Blake Masters for U.S. Senate Press (@MastersPress) November 9, 2022