G.O.P. Candidate in Arizona’s Attorney General Race Sues Over Election Results - The New York Times

Abe Hamadeh, the Arizona Republican locked successful a choky contention to go the state’s adjacent lawyer general, filed a suit connected Tuesday contesting the preliminary results of an predetermination that had already been headed to an automatic recount.

The state’s last tally from the Nov. 8 election, which was acceptable to beryllium certified by counties by adjacent week, has Mr. Hamadeh conscionable 510 votes down the Democratic candidate, Kris Mayes — 1,254,102 for Mr. Hamadeh and 1,254,612 for Ms. Mayes. That quality was wrong the borderline needed to unit an automatic recount nether authorities law.

Mr. Hamadeh’s lawsuit, filed successful State Superior Court successful Maricopa County, names arsenic defendants Arizona’s caput of authorities — Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who won the governor’s contention — arsenic good arsenic the region recorders and boards of supervisors successful the state’s 15 counties. The Republican National Committee joined Mr. Hamadeh successful the suit arsenic a plaintiff.

Mr. Hamadeh and the R.N.C., successful their complaint, inquire the tribunal to contented an injunction prohibiting the caput of authorities from certifying Ms. Mayes arsenic the victor and an bid declaring Mr. Hamadeh the winner. The suit argues that instrumentality failures and errors successful the absorption of polling places and successful ballot tabulation led to an incorrect last ballot count. It says determination was nary “fraud, manipulation oregon different intentional wrongdoing,” but it claims determination were mistakes that affected the last tally, fixed the contest’s constrictive margin.

The suit asks the tribunal to let further votes to beryllium counted, including 146 provisional ballots and 273 mail-in ballots that were segregated due to the fact that the predetermination strategy showed they came from voters who had already formed in-person ballots. It does not question a rerun of the election, though it does assertion that Mr. Hamadeh should beryllium declared the winner. By authorities law, Arizona’s caput of authorities is required to certify the results of the predetermination by Dec. 5.

Arizona has travel into the spotlight arsenic 1 of the past battlegrounds of the 2022 midterms for those who person agelong made mendacious accusations astir the integrity of predetermination systems. Kari Lake, the Republican campaigner for governor, has vowed to support warring adjacent arsenic the predetermination results amusement she mislaid by much than 17,000 votes. Her run has explicitly called for the predetermination to beryllium conducted again.

Both she and Mr. Hamadeh person pointed to problems connected Election Day successful Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix.

Widespread ballot tabulation problems, caused by improperly printed ballots, occurred successful the county. Ms. Lake and Mr. Hamadeh person claimed that their voters were disenfranchised by the problems, portion region officials accidental each elector was fixed an accidental to formed a ballot. A review by The New York Times of voter, canvass idiosyncratic and canvass show testimonies from Ms. Lake and her allies recovered that portion voters were inconvenienced with agelong hold times, astir said they had inactive formed their ballots.

Mr. Hamadeh’s suit appears to beryllium narrowly worded to use to the lawyer general’s race, alternatively than making wide allegations of predetermination nonaccomplishment that would person implications for the governor’s contention and its overmuch larger margin.

The caput of state’s bureau connected Wednesday greeting said successful a connection that its ineligible counsel has been preparing a response, but that the bureau believes the suit is legally baseless and that nary of the claims raised “warrant the bonzer remedy of changing the predetermination results and overturning the volition of Arizona voters.”

Representatives of immoderate of the different offices being sued, including Maricopa County’s committee of supervisors and recorder, declined to comment. Mr. Hamadeh besides declined to comment, arsenic did his Democratic opponent, Ms. Mayes. A lawyer and a spokeswoman for the Lake run did not respond to requests for comment.

Speaking connected MSNBC connected Tuesday night, Ms. Mayes did not code the suit but expressed assurance that she would look victorious, saying that “for the astir part, recounts don’t extremity up overturning elections.”

In a tweet astir his lawsuit connected Tuesday, Mr. Hamadeh, a erstwhile authoritative successful Maricopa County, wrote, “I volition not halt warring until ALL voters person justice.” Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the R.N.C., said connected Twitter, “We’re going to tribunal to get the answers voters deserve.”

Charles Homans contributed reporting.