Arizona Court Knocks Down Lake’s Election Appeal, Calling One Of Her Key Claims ‘Sheer Speculation’

An Arizona appellate court denied Kari Lake’s attempt to conjure up a redo of the 2022 election for governor Thursday night, affirming a lower court judge who also dismissed her claims. 

“Lake’s arguments highlight election-day difficulties, but her request for relief fails because the evidence presented to the superior court ultimately supports the court’s conclusion that voters were able to cast their ballots, that votes were counted correctly, and that no other basis justifies setting aside the election results,” the court wrote.

The appellate court judges struck a similar tone to the one employed by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson in his December dismissal of her claims, saying that they can’t accept “an untethered assertion of uncertainty” in place of evidence that the election was tainted. 

Much of the case, and extensive testimony, has centered on issues with ballot printing machines and Lake’s accusations that the ballot chain of custody was left vulnerable to interference. The appellate court pointed out on the first count that even Lake’s own witness admitted that the incorrectly printed ballots would have been duplicated onto forms able to be read by the tabulators and, thus, correctly counted. 

“Lake’s only purported evidence that these issues had any potential effect on election results was, quite simply, sheer speculation,” the court wrote. 

Similarly, on the accusations centered on day-of issues with the ballot handling, the court concluded that “Lake failed to present evidence, as opposed to speculation, that any such breach affected the election results.”

Lake, who seems to be using the case to stay relevant in MAGA circles, reinforce her election-denying bona fides and give supporters a reason to donate money, was unbowed. 

“BREAKING: I told you we would take this case all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court, and that’s exactly what we are going to do. Buckle up, America!” she tweeted — linking to a fundraising website. 

Read the decision here: