Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake fired off on Sunday, calling the state's election process a "laughingstock" as her race against Democrat Katie Hobbs remains up for grabs five days after the election.
"I consider someone's vote their voice. I think of it as a sacred vote. And it's being trampled the way we run our election in Arizona," said Lake to Fox News. "I have been sounding the alarm for two years. Nothing got done. Very little got done last legislative session. And we need to get in there and restore faith in our elections.
"We can't be the laughingstock of elections anymore here in Arizona. And when I'm governor, I will not allow it. I just won't."
Hobbs currently leads by 1.48 percentage points, with an estimated 93% of votes counted, according to the Newsmax elections tracker. Arizona officials have stated that counting ballots will continue into next week.
Lake has accused Arizona election workers of intentionally slowing down the process and as "incompetent."
The head of elections in Maricopa County, Bill Gates, said Lake's comments are "offensive."
"It's really sad to hear that we have the Republican nominee for governor here in Arizona who is talking like that," said Gates on CNN.
"I understand that Kari Lake wants us to move quickly, and a lot of people do. But you know what's more important? That this is done accurately," he added.
Most of the uncounted ballots are from Gates' Maricopa County, the state's most populous blue county.
Lake has been critical of the election process since former President Donald Trump's 2020 run.
"It's embarrassing. It's wrong. And we need people who are competent running our elections. This incompetency or maladministration is outrageous," Lake said. "And I think the good thing is that more people are waking up to the fact that Arizona has real troubles when it comes to elections."
Lake's Republican colleague and America First supporter, Blake Masters, R-Ariz., lost to incumbent Mark Kelly by nearly six percentage points, according to the Newsmax elections tracker. Lake is now alone in a last-ditch effort for Republicans to control Arizona.
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