Results: Democrat Katie Hobbs defeats Trump-endorsed Republican Kari Lake in Arizona's gubernatorial election
Business InsiderDec 23, 2022
The Facts
With 98% of expected votes counted as of Monday overnight, Arizona's Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs is projected to become the state's next governor as she leads by a 0.8-point margin over Republican Kari Lake.
Hobbs, who ran on a platform that included abortion rights and increasing teacher salaries, will be the first Democrat to hold Arizona's top office since Janet Napolitano resigned in 2009 to work in the Obama admin.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
US voters have sent a clear and strong message to election deniers in these midterm elections. This is even more meaningful in Arizona, which was a hotbed of dangerous denialism this year — Kari Lake was defeated in the gubernatorial race, Blake Masters failed to become senator, and Mark Finchem wasn't elected secretary of state.
Republican narrative
It may be time for a pivot away from Trump and his allies. Kari Lake and Senate nominee Blake Masters underperformed compared to other GOP candidates in the state, including state Treasury Kimberly Yee who ran against Lake in the primary for governor. Arizona may benefit from learning from the surging success of Ron DeSantis in Florida.
Pro-Trump narrative
It's utterly unfair that establishment GOP lobbyists and politicians who were bragging about the election quickly blamed Trump for the poorer-than-expected results. If they had comprehensively analyzed this election they would realize that turning on Trump is counterproductive. More needs to be done to enhance outreach to small donors and voters.
