Well, don’t look now, but the Democrats have done it once again in Arizona. It happened in 2020, it happened already this year, and now it’s happened again. But at this point, are we ever surprised anymore? They’ve now been doing this sort of thing for years and continue to get away with it. The results of the automatic recount in the Arizona attorney general race have been released, with Democrat Kris Mayes now leading Republican Abe Hamadeh by just 280 votes out of over 2.5 million ballots cast, a gap of 0.01 percentage points.
This marks one of the closest contests in Arizona’s history. Mayes’s lead was tightened by nearly half following the recount, with most of Hamadeh’s gain coming from Pinal County, which attributed the undercount to human error. Hamadeh requested a delay and asked for the current attorney general, Republican Mark Brnovich, to remain in office until “all issues are resolved,” but the judge rejected the motion.
The judge declared Mayes as the winner and instructed the Secretary of State, Katie Hobbs, to issue a certificate of election to Mayes. Hamadeh has indicated that his legal team will assess options to ensure all votes are counted. The RNC has continued to support Hamadeh’s efforts. The recount also affirmed Republican Tom Horne’s victory in the race for Superintendent of Public Instruction, though a state legislative seat in the Phoenix area will require a hand recount due to the close margin.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said her group continues to support Hamadeh’s efforts. The RNC had joined Hamadeh’s election lawsuit while staying out of other Arizona GOP candidates’ challenges to their results.
“What’s the explanation for why these votes were missed at first? That discrepancy is shocking, especially since a recount just puts the ballots through the machines again,” McDaniel wrote on Twitter.
The recount in the Arizona AG’s race cut the Democrat's lead by nearly half – from 511 to 280 votes. What's the explanation for why these votes were missed at first? That discrepancy is shocking, especially since a recount just puts the ballots through the machines again. (1/2)
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) December 29, 2022