Kari Lake loses Arizona appeals court challenge of 2022 loss in governor race

PHOENIX (AP) — Republican Kari Lake has lost an Arizona appeals court challenge arguing that thousands of Phoenix-area mail ballot signatures were not properly verified when she lost the 2022 governor election to Democrat Katie Hobbs. Lake has lost several court challenges after refusing to acknowledge she lost the election by more than 17,000 votes. The state Court of Appeals upheld on Tuesday a judge’s finding last year that Lake failed to prove inconsistencies in signatures were neglected by election verification staffers in Maricopa County. Lake’s attorney did not respond Wednesday to telephone and email messages about whether Lake would appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court.