At news conference, Kari Lake makes false claims about Arizona election trial, vows to appeal ruling

Former Republican candidate for governor Kari Lake on Tuesday pledged to appeal her latest courtroom loss in her effort to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.

"We're also going to continue to, not only raise funds, but energy, for our legal team to continue pushing our case to the United States Supreme Court," Lake said in a news conference outside her campaign headquarters that pivoted between grievances over 2022, looking forward to 2024, and taking on reporters in Lake's characteristic combative style.

On Monday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson handed Lake another defeat in her six-month effort to set aside the November election result. Lake, a former television news anchor, lost the Governor's Office to Hobbs by 17,117 votes, less than 1 percentage point.

Lake has had an unusual two trials in her election challenge, both of which she lost after she was unable to present evidence to back up her claims of official misconduct and faulty procedures.

Last week, her legal team argued in a three-day trial that Maricopa County election workers verified signatures on ballot envelopes in a matter of seconds, too quickly to pass muster as signature verification as required by law. But even Lake's own witnesses testified that signature verification was taking place, and Thompson late Monday affirmed Hobbs' win in a ruling that says nothing in the law requires a certain amount of time be spent to compare signatures.

Thompson went further, writing in his ruling that the county had proved at trial that "a comparison between voter records and signatures was conducted in every instance" over which Lake raised concern.

Lake makes false claims about case at news conference

In her news conference, Lake repeatedly made false claims that contradicted Thompson's latest ruling and that were not substantiated by two other courts — the state Court of Appeals and Arizona Supreme Court — that have considered the case. She called Hobbs a "fraud who is sitting in the Governor's Office" and alleged "criminals and crooks" operate elections.

“The courts just ruled that this corrupt election will stand," Lake said. "The courts just ruled that our elections can run lawlessly. The courts have ruled that anything goes. Well, we can play by those same rules.”

She also announced Tuesday a vague plan to register voters and "chase ballots," signaling a shift in her focus as her appeals continue to unfold. The former candidate said she would spend millions of dollars on that effort through her Save Arizona Fund. What her own political future holds is uncertain, and Lake repeated on Tuesday she was considering a run for U.S. Senate next year.

"I haven’t made up my mind on that," she told reporters.

Lake ran a campaign for the state's top office last year having no experience in politics, but buoyed by decades of on-camera experience that made her a known quantity for many Arizona voters. Her allegiance to former President Donald Trump and his election conspiracy claims proved to be her undoing in November.

County recorder: 'We have an undefeated court record'

Hours before Lake held her news conference, Maricopa County election officials led about 15 journalists on a two-hour tour of the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center. It's the hub of elections in the state's largest county, where ballots are tabulated and signatures verified, and features multiple redundancies to keep voting systems safe from outside influence.

Republican Recorder Stephen Richer said forms of public education, like tours, are a line of defense against election lies.

The county is "trying to make the process as understandable as possible so that fewer people are susceptible to some of the lies that are being mentioned about this process," Richer said. "We have an undefeated court record. We'll continue to push back against any allegations that are leveled against either the Board of Supervisors or me, or all of the above."

Latest court ruling: Judge rules against Kari Lake, affirms Hobbs as AZ governor in election signature verification trial

Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669. Follow her on Twitter @sbarchenger.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kari Lake to appeal Arizona judge's ruling affirming her election loss