US midterm results: Will election-denier Kari Lake become Arizona's governor?

An election-denying erstwhile writer could beryllium the adjacent politician of Arizona. But does Kari Lake genuinely judge successful what she's campaigned connected - and volition it substance erstwhile results of the razor-thin contention are yet called?

It was 130 degrees, but Kari Lake was chill arsenic a cucumber.

Her immaculate hair-do and pristine make-up had someway defied the sweaty ravages of the summertime heat.

Lake spent 22 years arsenic a TV anchor connected Arizona's section Fox 10 quality transmission earlier jumping into authorities with a tally for Arizona politician this year, and her poised on-air persona has been 1 of her astir almighty governmental weapons.

I met Lake this summertime astatine a java greeting hosted astatine a status assemblage successful Wickenburg, a mates of hours northbound of Phoenix. Lake had driven retired determination to campaign, soliciting votes and donations, from this captious radical of constituents. She invited america to articulation them.

No Republican tin anticipation to triumph state-wide bureau successful Arizona without the enactment of older achromatic voters, and successful the pristine location connected Tenderfoot Way, that's precisely what she found.

My unit and I arrived earlier Lake, and the country of a fewer twelve supporters was already buzzing with anticipation. They recognise Lake from her years speechmaking the news; she's a personage successful Arizona, and they were precise excited to conscionable her. One aged pistillate told maine she lone hoped Lake would beryllium arsenic glamorous successful the soma arsenic she was connected TV.

And erstwhile the TV anchor turned blimpish firebrand yet arrived she didn't disappoint.

Lake is simply a existent pro astatine moving a room. Those years performing for the camera person served her well, and she walked successful confidently, with a wide smile. "Oh my gosh, however are you?" she beamed. "Nice to spot you, hullo everyone. Gorgeous neighbourhood but adjacent amended looking people."

If it was a spot canned, they didn't look to mind. She'd been successful the country little than a infinitesimal and had them eating retired of her hand. I felt I was watching a master-class successful retail politics.

Lake had a grin for everyone. Except me. She doesn't similar journalists - which is unusual since she was 1 for truthful long.

"I made a precise hard determination to locomotion distant from my career," she explained. "I realised the enactment had go immoral. The tract has gone afloat propaganda, and they are lying to the people. So I decided to propulsion my chapeau into the ring."

She paused for the applause and past a sly dig. "And, you know, we've got the media here. I'm astir to bash an interrogation with them, and I bash anticipation they're fair." More applause.

For the adjacent 15 minutes Lake told this radical of blimpish voters what she planned to bash if they elected her arsenic governor. Her database included banning abortion, banning "woke" ideology successful schools, clamping down connected amerciable migration and litigating the 2020 predetermination results.

"Without honorable elections and a unafraid border, we nary longer person a state and we're not going to fto Arizona go," she said.

That didn't conscionable get applause, it got appreciative whistles too.

Early successful the campaign, Lake won Donald Trump's endorsement by placing herself connected the blimpish helping of the Republican party, and much importantly, by claiming the 2020 predetermination was stolen (though determination is nary grounds that it was). Her governmental ideology is close successful enactment with that of his supporters.

By and large, this Republican women's java greeting was blessed with what they heard. Their lone existent interest was whether she was blimpish enough.

The TV anchor erstwhile donated to 1 Barack Obama erstwhile helium was moving for President successful 2008, and this assemblage wanted to cognize if she was worthy of Donald Trump's endorsement. "Being caller to this party, however did you negociate to get Trump's endorsement?" 1 of the women asked.

"I've been a registered Republican astir 30 years. For 4 years I registered arsenic a Democrat. I took a accidental connected a newcomer named Obama and was disappointed," she explained, adding: "President Trump knows a combatant erstwhile helium sees one. He knows a victor erstwhile helium sees one."

At that constituent she wrapped up her run pitch, and said goodbye with much hugs and effusive compliments - and 1 much changeable crossed my bow. "What bash you think: are the BBC going to beryllium fair?" she asked the room.

We'd acceptable up for our interrogation with her successful different country of the house, and her property squad insisted connected filming america filming her. It was a small unnerving, but they said they wanted to marque definite we didn't misrepresent her.

Interviewing Lake is an workout successful frustration. First, she loves warring with the press, and is uniquely good placed to bash it.

She told reporters that if she becomes governor, she'll beryllium their "worst fricking nightmare".

Second, she refuses to concede immoderate uncertainty astatine each successful her ain predetermination denial. During our interview, I enactment it to her that determination was nary grounds the 2020 predetermination had been stolen. I pointed retired that the Arizona Republican party's ain recount had confirmed that Joe Biden had won the state. I reminded her that implicit 60 lawsuits claiming predetermination fraud had been dismissed for deficiency of origin by judges astir the US, including judges Trump himself had appointed.

It made nary difference. She is acold much disciplined and connected connection than Trump could ever be.

"We could beryllium present each day," she said. "I tin spell implicit the grounds and the media inactive won't judge it due to the fact that they're connected a ngo to discredit that."

The said grounds has ne'er been presented, astatine slightest not successful public. If the Lake squad has it, we haven't seen it. She told maine Arizona's lawyer wide has sat connected a upland of evidence. He says he's wrapped up his probe and there's nary grounds of fraud. The back-and-forth of baseless claims is frustrating. This should beryllium achromatic and white, fact-based, especially, 1 would think, to a quality journalist.

I went into my interrogation with Lake hoping to observe if she truly believes what she says astir the predetermination being rigged, oregon if she conscionable uses the conspiracy arsenic a utile mode to triumph votes. Honestly, I near nary the wiser.

And possibly it doesn't truly matter. Lake is inactive casting uncertainty connected the validity of elections, this clip her own. And whether she believes it oregon not, millions of her supporters do. That's wherever the harm to American ideology tin beryllium done.