PHOENIX — The nation’s last undecided race for governor got even closer Sunday as Democrat Kathy Hobbs’ lead narrowed against Republican Kari Lake in Arizona’s leadership race, but it was too early to tell.
Hobbs leads by 26,000 votes, a margin of 1 point, down about 10,000 votes from the day before.
Lake has never led in the race, but insists she will take the lead as ballots filed at the polls are added to the tally. She won a majority of the 99,000 votes cast in Maricopa County on Sunday, but it’s unclear if she can close the gap with roughly 160,000 votes left to be counted statewide.
The Associated Press has not yet declared the race because too many votes remain to be counted to conclude that Hobbs’ lead is insurmountable.
Democrats won the U.S. Senate and Secretary of State races in Arizona, but Lake is doing better than Republicans in those races. A former TV host, Lake is well-known across much of the state and has drawn passionate support among supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Lake is one of the most prominent election refusals running for office this year. Arizona’s long vote count has been highly criticized by her supporters, but that’s not news in a state where the vast majority of people vote on ballots they receive by mail. Maricopa County officials said a record number of early voting ballots were dropped off at a polling place on Election Day, delaying vote counting while officials verify their legitimacy.
Republican Rep. David Schweikert emerged as the frontrunner for the first time, but was less than 900 votes ahead of Democrat Javin Hodge in the Phoenix House suburb, which Democrats hoped could help them meet expectations and win the House majority.
In southern Arizona, Republican Juan Siscomani maintained his narrow lead over Democrat Kirsten Engel for the House Open House seat.
It is too early to call both races.
