Obama says democracy 'may not survive' if Arizona Republicans win - The Washington Post

“That’s not an exaggeration,” helium added. “That is simply a fact.”

Because triumph for the GOP ticket, the erstwhile president proclaimed to a assemblage of much than 1,000 successful a precocious schoolhouse gymnasium successful confederate Phoenix, would mean “election deniers serving arsenic your governor, arsenic your senator, arsenic your caput of state, arsenic your lawyer general.”

Republican contenders for those posts person been much fervent than galore GOP candidates elsewhere successful embracing erstwhile president Donald Trump’s mendacious claims of wide fraud successful the 2020 election. They person promised to alteration however elections are conducted successful this important plaything authorities — promises they would beryllium capable to instrumentality if voters enactment them successful complaint of the state’s predetermination system.

A Washington Post investigation of candidates’ statements and actions shows a majority of the Republican nominees connected the ballot this autumn for national oregon authorities offices — 291 wide — person denied oregon questioned the results of the 2020 election. In Arizona, each but 1 of the 13 GOP nominees person done so.

Kari Lake, successful the contention for governor, has called anyone who believes Joe Biden won by 81 cardinal votes a “conspiracy theorist.” Blake Masters, who’s moving for Senate, announced unequivocally successful an ad: “I deliberation Trump won successful 2020.”

Lake, erstwhile pressed successful a recent ABC interview astir her claims of elector fraud, pointed to a scope of unsubstantiated examples of improper handling of ballots, but did allow: “I volition judge the results of this predetermination if we person a fair, honorable and transparent election. Absolutely. 100 percent.”

Mark Finchem, who has identified himself arsenic a subordinate of the Oath Keepers militia radical and is the party’s prime for caput of state, has sought to necessitate a manus number of each ballots and springiness the Republican-led legislature the authorization to cull predetermination results. Abraham Hamadeh, the nominee for lawyer general, has promised a “day of reckoning” for “those who worked to rob President Trump successful the rigged 2020 election,” pairing his informing with an representation of handcuffs.

Polling suggests each are competitory successful Tuesday’s races.

Obama seemed to instrumentality personally what helium formed arsenic the GOP’s unilateral rejection of the rules of the antiauthoritarian game.

“When Donald Trump won, I stayed up till 3 successful the greeting truthful I could connection a congratulatory telephone to idiosyncratic who opposed everything I stood for, but I believed successful the peaceful transportation of power,” Obama said. “I sat astatine his inauguration. We welcomed him into the White House. Because that’s what America’s expected to beryllium about. Did we hide that? Did that lone use to 1 side?”

The erstwhile president asked successful disbelief: “What has happened?”

His comments echoed those delivered earlier successful the time by Biden, erstwhile his No. 2 successful the White House. Speaking 2,000 miles distant astatine Washington’s Union Station, the president said candidates who garbage to judge the result of Tuesday’s contests enactment the state connected a “path to chaos.”

Chaos was besides the complaint leveled against Republicans by the Democrats who appeared alongside Obama successful Phoenix.

Katie Hobbs, the Democratic nominee for governor, said voters successful Arizona had a “choice betwixt sanity and chaos.” Kris Mayes, who is moving for lawyer general, said plainly: “Our opponents bash not judge successful democracy.”