(NewsNation) — NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ has called the highly anticipated Arizona race for governor in favor of Katie Hobbs.
When initial counts were posted on election night, Democrat Katie Hobbs held a lead of over 180,000 votes over her Republican challenger. Two nights later, Hobbs maintained a small advantage over former President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate, Kari Lake. It continued to shrink — the margin Monday evening when the race was called was just more than 20,000 votes.
“I am honored to have been selected to serve as the next Governor of Arizona,” Hobbs said in a statement. “I want to thank the voters for entrusting me with this immense responsibility. It is truly an honor of a lifetime, and I will do everything in my power to make you proud.”
But Lake, a 2020 election denier, was far from conciliatory on social media Monday night.
Lake is a former TV journalist, and brought national attention to the state race by making Trump’s false narrative about the 2020 election a centerpiece of her campaign and taking a hardline stance on such issues as immigration, crime and the teaching of critical race theory in schools.
Steve Barnes, a former state lawmaker and friend of Lake’s, told NewsNation’s Dan Abrams he thought she would concede eventually, but not Monday night.
Hobbs serves as the current Secretary of State for Arizona and became a national figure during the 2020 election when she defended the results after Trump lost the state by narrow margins. During her 2022 campaign, she has said she will “do whatever it takes to continue to expand (abortion) access,” advocated for “common-sense gun safety reform” and has said she wants to raise teacher pay in the state among other policy stances.
Polls showed the candidates were in a dead heat since late August, with most showing neither Hobbs nor Lake leading by more than a few points. In what has been called a risky move for a candidate without a wide lead, Hobbs refused to debate Lake, saying the Republican was more interested in “creating a spectacle than having a substantive discussion about the issues.”
The decisive race drew former Presidents Trump and Barack Obama to the state to signal their support for their respective parties’ candidates.
Obama championed Hobbs as a candidate who would be “up to the challenge” of preserving democracy. Trump, in his endorsement of Lake, said the candidate would “protect our Border, Second Amendment, Military and Vets.”
Arizona is one of 36 states electing their top executive officials during the 2022 midterm elections. Before the election, Republicans led the way with governors in 28 states, while 22 states were led by a Democrat.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.