Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate claiming election fraud as primary approaches

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- With less than a week left in the primary, one of the leading Republican candidates for governor claims attempts to steal the election is already underway. Earlier this week, Kari Lake told the North Valley Constitutional Republicans, “we’re already detecting some fraud.”

Lake made the accusation several times during the event but did not provide specific evidence to back it up. Arizona’s Family reached out for comment but did not get a response from her campaign, which has made unsupported election fraud claims about the 2020 election a cornerstone of her run for office. Lake’s comments come as polls show her and Karrin Taylor Robson running neck and neck for the GOP nomination.

Robson, who has rarely done interviews with the local press, did not provide comment to Arizona’s Family. But she did tell the Arizona Republic that she thinks that Lake’s new accusations of election theft were part of a “calculated narrative.”

“It’s an assault on our Democracy, and I think it’s dangerous,” she told the newspaper.

Democratic political consultant Tony Cani questioned why Robson didn’t speak out sooner. He points out that Robson has declined to reject the baseless claims of rigged elections that have persisted for the past two years. “This isn’t new. What’s new is that the conspiracies theories are being pointed at her direction, she’s very uncomfortable about the fact this might hurt her...chances of gaining power,” Cani said.

Lake, who won former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, has been clear that she believes he won in 2020 despite the evidence that shows President Joe Biden was the legitimate winner. Robson, meanwhile, has declined to say if Biden won legitimacy, saying that the last election was unfair to Trump.

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