Judge denies Abe Hamadeh a 2nd trial in his challenge to election loss; Republican vows to appeal

Ray Stern, Arizona Republic
Updated ·2 min read
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Attorney general candidate Republican Abe Hamadeh on Arizona PBS where he debated Democrat Kris Mayes on Sept. 28, 2022.

A judge has denied another trial for Abe Hamadeh to challenge the results of the state attorney general's race, which the Republican lost to Democrat Kris Mayes in one of the closest election contests in state history.

Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee F. Jantzen, who dismissed Hamadeh's challenge in December following a three-hour trial, said in a ruling on Friday that his decision to deny the request for a new trial was a "close call in a closely contested election."

Jantzen did not explain his ruling, however, writing instead that a "weekend fire in the Court's home and some emergencies" delayed him. He will have a full entry "discussing this ruling and addressing other pleadings" in the case by July 17 at noon, he wrote.

Hamadeh's lawyers in May argued in Mohave County Superior Court for the new trial, saying that more than 1,100 people were unable to vote because of changes to their voter registration records, and that then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs — now Arizona's governor — suppressed votes during a mandatory recount in the race.

The recount reduced the number of votes between Mayes and Hamadeh from 511 to 280 out of 2.5 million cast in the statewide race. But as lawyers for Mayes, Maricopa County and the Secretary of State's Office said in May, Hamadeh's side had not proved that the alleged problems would have affected the election's outcome.

"This fight is not over," said a statement by Hamadeh's campaign spokesperson, Erica Knight. "We are taking this historic legal battle to the Arizona Supreme Court. ... When it’s all said and done, we will prevail on the merits and we will restore faith in our election system."

Mayes said she was "happy" about the ruling.

"As we’ve said all along, this was a baseless lawsuit and the plaintiffs failed to provide any factual evidence," she said in a written statement. "We’re happy to have a ruling from the judge denying their request for a new trial. The will of Arizona voters will not be undermined."

Reach the reporter at rstern@arizonarepublic.com or 480-276-3237. Follow him on Twitter @raystern.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Attorney general candidate Abe Hamadeh won't get 2nd trial, judge says