Unsuccessful Republican candidate in Arizona attorney general race pushes for new trial

By ANITA SNOW
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — The Republican candidate who lost last year’s election for Arizona attorney general returns to court Tuesday to request a new trial in his efforts to overturn the results of the November contest.

Attorneys for candidate Abraham Hamadeh were set to appear at an afternoon Superior Court hearing in Mohave County in Arizona’s northwestern corner to claim they have fresh evidence some votes were not tallied in the election won by Democrat Kris Mayes, who was sworn in early this year.

Hamadeh wants Judge Lee Jantzen to allow a thorough inspection of all ballots in the election.

The case is among several still alive in Arizona courts six months after an election that saw Democrats win the top races in the former Republican stronghold.

Former TV anchor Kari Lake, the 2022 Republican candidate for Arizona governor, also continues to challenge her defeat to Democrat Katie Hobbs, who took office in January, even though courts have dismissed most of her lawsuit.

Lake made former President Donald Trump’s election lies the centerpiece of her campaign. While most other election deniers around the country conceded after losing their races in November, Lake persisted.

Republicans had nominated a slate of candidates backed by Trump who focused on supporting his false claims about the 2020 election. In addition to Hobbs and Mayes, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly was reelected and Democrat Adrian Fontes won the race for secretary of state.

The Arizona Supreme Court sanctioned Lake’s lawyers $2,000 earlier this month in their unsuccessful challenge of Hobbs’ win.

The state’s highest court said Lake’s attorney made “false factual statements” that more than 35,000 ballots had been improperly added to the total ballot count.