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Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, Kari Lake, obliterated the media Tuesday after being labeled an “election denier” for questioning the integrity of U.S. elections.
Reporters attempted to pressure Lake regarding her recent refusal to say if she would accept the results of the midterm elections if her Democrat challenger, Katie Hobbs, won. Lake, who continues to enjoy a lead over Hobbs in the polls, responded by completely flipping the script on the press members.
“I’m actually shocked you asked that question,” she said.
Lake asked a young man named Anthony for a stack of papers he organized showing numerous examples of Democrats denying the legitimacy of U.S. elections. Blasting the news media, Lake told Anthony, “You did better research than half these people.”
“Let’s talk about election deniers,” Lake continued, “Here’s 150 examples of Democrats denying election results. Oh wow, look at this. This is from Joe Biden’s press secretary. ‘Reminder: Brian Kemp stole the gubernatorial election from Georgians and Stacy Abrams.’ A Democrat saying that. Is that an election denier?”
Lake provided another example, citing Hillary Clinton’s claim that “Trump is an illegitimate president.” Lake asked the media, “Is she an election denier?” The Trump-endorsed Republican nominee even provided an example of the Los Angeles Times questioning the legitimacy of the 2016 presidential election.
“So it’s okay for Democrats to question elections, but it’s not okay for Republicans?” Lake asked. “It’s a crock… everyone of you knows it. We have our freedom of speech and we’re not gonna relinquish it to a bunch of fake news propagandists.”
Lake challenged the journalists to ask Anthony for a copy of the countless examples of Democrats denying the results of U.S. elections. In a scathing rebuke, she also challenged members of the media to “learn how to be journalists.”
Lake explained the integrity of American elections has been questioned for over two decades. “Since 2000, people have questioned the legitimacy of our elections, and all we’re asking is that in the future we don’t have to have that happen anymore,” she stated.
In a promise to the people of Arizona, Lake said she will ensure the state holds honest elections when she is elected governor this November. “We want the Democrats, the Independents, and the Republicans to all know that their vote counted,” she said. “We want fair, honest, and transparent elections, and we’re going to deliver that for the people.”
Throughout the midterm election cycle, Lake has been one of the strongest advocates for election integrity, echoing many of the concerns from President Donald Trump. However, she has also frequently pointed out the hypocrisy of the Democrats and the news media regarding their “denial” of U.S. election results.
In her conclusion, Lake challenged the reporters: “If you’re going to start throwing around terms like ‘election denier,’ let’s remember who the other election deniers were, Hillary Clinton and all the Democrats.”