Dem
51
GOP
49
Have you seen that headline before? Something like half a dozen times at this point? Yes, yes you have. And yet, wannabe governor Kari Lake (R) just keeps losing.
Her latest defeat was courtesy of a three-judge panel on the Arizona Court of Appeals. They ruled unanimously that she has absolutely no case when it comes to overturning the gubernatorial result and replacing Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) as the state's chief executive. Judge Peter A. Thompson, writing for the court, essentially eviscerated Lake's whole case, determining that nobody was denied their right to vote and that Lake and her attorneys presented zero evidence for any of their claims.
Lake is a real glutton for punishment, because she's already vowed that she will appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court. It is true that court is made up entirely of justices appointed by Republican governors. However, they have not been willing to sign off on any election-denial nonsense thus far, and any court is going to be extremely reluctant to eject a governor who has already commenced their term. Further, Arizona law is written in such a way that Lake would have to prove that there was willful action meant specifically to keep her from winning. It is not enough to show that mistakes were made, even major ones. Of course, since Lake has no evidence for anything she claims, what she can and cannot prove is something of a moot point.
We are not certain how far gone Lake really is, but we are inclined to doubt that she really thinks she can win this thing. Presumably, this is a show being performed for an audience of one at Mar-a-Lago. And maybe this is impressing Trump, though he's very clearly on the record as preferring "winners" over "losers." Alternatively, this might be a way for Lake to keep her name in the headlines in anticipation of a Senate bid. If so, good luck with that. Arizona voters rejected her even before this long-form temper tantrum, and are not likely to look more warmly upon her now. (Z)