NBC News has declared Democrat Katie Hobbs the winner over Trump-backed Republican Kari Lake in the Arizona governor’s race after the release of the vote tallies from Maricopa and Pima counties.
Maricopa election officials released their last major batch of votes — 74,000 mail ballots dropped off at voting centers on Election Day.
Lake received 57% of those votes to 43% for Hobbs. But that was not enough to overcome the lead Hobbs had steadily maintained.
Hobbs’ lead statewide is now slightly over 24,000 votes.
Hobbs is the incumbent Secretary of State. Lake is a former Phoenix-area news anchor who went full MAGA and backed Trump’s big lie.
Earlier, a batch of 24,000 votes from Pima County (Tucson-area) netted 4,000 votes for Hobbs, building her lead to about 29,000 votes. These were also mail ballots dropped off at voting centers on Election Day.
That lead was reduced by the Maricopa votes.