Arizona megathread

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Breaking:
https://twitter.com/KariLake/status/362781320612552705?s=20&t=fVFOVbTEy1JlAX...

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https://twitter.com/Garrett_Archer/status/1594794887706189852
It's not impossible to overturn a 500-vote deficit in a recount, but it's extremely unlikely.

McSally's recount in 2014 took her from a 161 to a 167 vote lead, apparently - if the AZ election system is still as accurate as it was back then, this should all be over...

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https://twitter.com/Garrett_Archer/status/1594794887706189852
It's not impossible to overturn a 500-vote deficit in a recount, but it's extremely unlikely.

McSally's recount in 2014 took her from a 161 to a 167 vote lead, apparently - if the AZ election system is still as accurate as it was back then, this should all be over...

Wasn't that a district?

Aye - but it’s got some relevance to statewide recounting. I’ll admit - it’s not a one-to-one comparison though.

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Does that mean that Hobbs will get to appoint a Lt. Governor or one would just be elected in 2026?

I believe one would be elected in the 2026 election, and I think the proposal made it so they are elected on the same ticket and that the Lieutenant Governor is a staff member in the governors office (such as chief of staff).

Huh - that's a bit of an oddity.

In the Senate, you have that occassional situation where a member resigns/dies, and their chief of staff is appointed to fill the slot for a year or two. Think Ted Kaufman getting Biden's Delaware Senate seat between early 2009, and the special election during the 2010 midterms.

It's almost like they set out to recreate that dynamic here - which feels pretty unique. Makes sense if the governor has been appointed to higher office, but going to be awkward if the AZ gov is taken down by a governance scandal, and one of their closest aides ends up taking over. 

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https://mobile.twitter.com/KariLakeWarRoom/status/1596620684595060736
Wild stuff. Not sure who’s going to provide this “whistleblower protection”. Maybe they think Herschel Walker’s badge is real, and he able to offer them spots in a witness protection programme?

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https://twitter.com/hjessy_/status/1609963937344229378

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That's the first official gubernatorial transfer of power this year. IIRC Mills, DeSantis, Sununu, and Noem also have inaugurations today.

Lombardo was sworn in on the same day as Hobbs.

And, of course, Josh Green has been running the show in Hawaii since the end of last year.

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Provocative, but sorta plausible hot-take of the week - excess deaths arising from anti-vaccination movement in AZ led to the AG race flipping:

https://twitter.com/DavidLauter/status/1622588590432608260