President Donald Trump revived false claims of election fraud Wednesday, accusing Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs of helping rig the state’s 2022 gubernatorial election as he sought to boost Republican gubernatorial nominee Andy Biggs, a longtime ally who helped challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Trump revisited voting machine problems in Maricopa County during the 2022 gubernatorial election at a rally in Bullhead City, a Republican stronghold in Mohave County. He falsely suggested the malfunctions were deliberately targeted at Republican voters and cost then-GOP nominee Kari Lake the race against Hobbs.
“She won that election…The damn machines were broken in Republican areas. They were broken purposely, and you couldn’t vote and Katie Hobbs had a lot to do with it,” Trump told supporters. “What a rigged election that was and it’s a shame.”
But the claims are unfounded. While some ballot printers experienced technical problems in Arizona on Election Day in 2022, investigations and court rulings found no evidence that the malfunctions were intentionally orchestrated to suppress Republican votes or that they changed the election’s outcome.
Lake repeatedly challenged her loss to Hobbs, but her legal efforts failed to overturn the results.
Trump also praised Lake, without naming her, saying she “won that election” and “probably won the other one too,” an apparent reference to her unsuccessful 2024 Senate bid.
The remarks put election denialism back in the...
President Donald Trump revived false claims of election fraud Wednesday, accusing Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs of helping rig the state’s 2022 gubernatorial election as he sought to boost Republican...