When Barack Obama ran for Democrats in Arizona’s midterm elections this past week, he was direct about the stakes in that state.
According to Obama, “democracy as we know it may not survive in Arizona” if Republicans take control of critical positions in the state. It’s not hyperbole to say that. That is true.
He is correct.
The Washington Post reports that 12 of the 13 Republican candidates in Arizona running for federal and state offices this year have expressed doubts about the outcome of the 2020 election.
Kari Lake, the party’s nominee for governor, is very much included in that. Lake’s polished on-camera persona has made her a favourite of the party’s Trumpist wing (she was a local TV anchor for years). She is even compared to the past president as a woman (although I would argue Lake is more strategic and more on message than Trump has ever been).
The main similarity between her and Trump is that the foundation of her message is election fraud. She has stated that she would not have certified the results in the state if she had been elected governor and that the 2020 election was “stolen.”
Additionally, Lake has not vowed to accept the outcomes of her competition. She recently told AWN’s Dana Bash, “I’m going to win the election, and I will accept that result.”
Lake is not alone herself. Blake Masters, a Republican running for the Senate, has promoted various election-related conspiracies. The Republican candidate for secretary of state, Mark Finchem, has asserted that there may have been ballots in some counties that ought to have been disregarded due to purported anomalies. (Such irregularities have never been supported by any evidence.)
Then, as Obama remarked, Arizona is sort of a litmus test to see if Americans are at least willing to accept election denialism in their candidates. Or is there something about these candidates that appeals to voters?
Is there any chance for a fair and transparent outcome in one of the anticipated swing states in the next election if people like Lake and Finchem are in charge of the election machinery in 2024?