• A proposal to punish Republican candidate was refused by a US judge.
• Lake would have to reimburse Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, for more over $33,000 in costs.
• The inauguration of Hobbs is scheduled for January 5.

A proposal to punish Republican candidate for governor of Arizona Kari Lake for charges she made when contesting the validity of the state election was refused by a US judge.

But on Tuesday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson decided that Lake would have to reimburse Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, for more over $33,000 in costs related to expert witnesses and ballot inspections.

The choice was made a few days after Thompson dismissed a lawsuit Lake had brought to challenge her narrow loss in the governor’s election last November. In a state with more than 4 million registered voters, Hobbs won that race by about 17,000 votes.

After Hobbs filed a motion to punish Lake, a vocal election sceptic, for allegations she deemed “groundless and not presented in good faith,” the decision was announced on Tuesday.

Both as Arizona’s current secretary of state, who is in charge of regulating elections, and as the state’s next governor, Hobbs asked for a monetary fine of about $695,000 to cover legal bills and other costs.

Judge Thompson, however, disagreed with Hobbs’ main contention. He found that Lake’s accusations “were, or were not, groundless and presented in bad faith” simply because she “failed to meet the burden of clear and compelling evidence”.

According to Thompson’s decision, “there is no question that each side believes sincerely and with tremendous conviction in its position.”

When Lake, a former television personality, announced her bid for governor of Arizona, an increasingly competitive swing state, she was a political novice. She was one of a group of contenders for the November midterm elections whom former President Donald Trump had endorsed.

Election fraud became the focal point of her campaign. She went so far as to air a TV commercial criticising the press industry for failing to report on “the biggest story out there: the rigged election of 2020.”

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden defeated Republican incumbent Trump in that election. Despite bogus claims to the contrary, Biden only barely defeated Trump in Arizona. Lake had endorsed efforts to revoke the state’s certification of Biden’s victory.

Despite assertions that her campaign was “going to win big,” Lake herself trailed Hobbs in the results of the midterm elections in November. She denounced the results on social media and then filed a lawsuit on December 9 asking the judge to proclaim her the winner or call for a fresh election.

In her 70-page court document, Lake attacked a number of election-day problems, including long lineups at voting places and printing problems in Maricopa County, the county with the highest population in the state.

Her legal appeal, however, was viewed as improbable. She had to demonstrate not only that there had been misconduct, but also that the wrongdoing had purposefully prevented her from winning.

The lawsuit, according to the statement from the newly elected governor Hobbs, is “Lake’s latest desperate attempt to subvert our democracy and throw out the will of the voters.”

Judge Thompson acknowledged the “anger and dissatisfaction” voters felt on election day even though he dismissed Lake’s complaint on December 24.

However, Thompson noted, “This Court’s responsibility is not limited to bending an ear to public outrage.” “It is to expose Plaintiff’s allegations and Defendants’ conduct to the courtroom’s light and legal scrutiny.”

Thompson added that it “has never been done in the history of the United States” to disregard legitimate election results.

Since then, Lake has pledged to continue her legal battle and has criticised what she has dubbed “corrupt elections.”

She said on Twitter that “My Election Case gave the world with evidence that indicates our elections are run outside of the law.” “This Judge rejected our appeal. I will, however, appeal his decision in an effort to restore trust and honesty in our elections.

The inauguration of Hobbs is scheduled for January 5.

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