Some Arizona voters aren't buying Kari Lake's stolen election claims — even when they believe Trump's
Both former President Donald Trump and Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake have repeatedly pushed false claims that their lost elections were stolen from them.
PHOENIX — Both former President Donald Trump and Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake have repeatedly pushed false claims that their lost elections were stolen from them. But for some Arizona voters, only Trump’s election denialism is resonating.
For John Giza, 66, a retired Walmart employee from Show Low, the idea that Trump lost the presidential election in 2020 is unfathomable. “I believe there was a great deal of rule changes because of Covid that allowed multiple duplicate voters and people who are not eligible,” Giza said outside a Trump rally in Prescott Valley on Oct. 13, parroting Trump’s debunked claims.
But when it comes to Lake’s failed bid for governor in 2022, when she lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs, Giza believes that election was legitimate. “I fought election fraud all my life. I don’t think she did” win, said Giza, who plans to vote for Lake.
Asked why he believes the 2022 governor’s race was legitimate but not the 2020 election, Giza said, “They had already started working on the issues with people voting who weren’t supposed to vote.”
In interviews with NBC News over the last few months, some Arizona voters who believe the 2020 election was rigged said they think Lake’s 2022 loss was legitimate.
Rating: 5