A judge dismissed Kari Lake's lawsuit challenging her loss in the Arizona gubernatorial election.
Ms. Lake, a former TV news anchor, became the Republican candidate for Governor amid a wave of 'Make America Great Again' candidates. However, she was defeated in November by Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs.
Ms. Hobbs received 1,288,891 votes (50.32%), and Ms. Lake received 1,270,774 votes (49.65%), but the Trump-backed Republican refused to concede and filed a lawsuit.
Saturday, Republican-appointed Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson refused Ms. Lake's request to contest the election results, rejecting her argument that difficulties with ballot printers at some polling stations on election day were the product of deliberate misconduct.
The judge stated that there was no clear and convincing proof of the alleged misbehavior by Ms. Lake.
The court stated, "The Court cannot accept guesswork or conjecture instead of clear and persuasive proof."
The Republican has vocally supported the fraudulent claims of former President Donald Trump that he won the 2020 presidential election.
While most other election skeptics in the United States have recognized defeat since November, Ms. Lake has not. She instead requested that the judge declare her the victor or order a new vote in Maricopa County.
In the order, the judge acknowledged the "anger and annoyance" of the inconvenienced voters during the election and observed that it "had never been done" in the history of the United States to set aside election results.
"However, this Court's responsibility is not limited to listening to public outrage," the judge concluded. "This is to expose Plaintiff's claims and Defendants' behavior to the courtroom and legal scrutiny." He noted that Ms. Lake's emphasis on printer malfunctions "did not alter the election results," he said.
According to county officials, everyone could vote, and all ballots were counted in the election.
Ms. Lake stated, "My election case supplied the world with proof that our elections are conducted illegally. The judge's decision was not in our favor. To restore credibility and honesty in our elections, however, I will appeal his decision."
On January 2, Ms. Hobbs took office as Governor.