MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. — Republican Abe Hamadeh is seeking a new trial in his election challenge over the candidate's loss to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.
A judge dismissed Hamadeh's lawsuit last week, finding that the 31-year-old candidate had not presented sufficient evidence to dispute the 2022 general election results.
Though the recent recount results still declared Mayes as the winner in a competitive race for the state's top attorney, Hamadeh is arguing that tabulation errors in Pinal County should be evidence for challenging Mayes' narrow win.
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In the original canvass, Mayes beat Hamadeh by only 511 votes. But the recount narrowed Mayes' victory down to 280 votes.
The large discrepancy has been attributed to "human errors" reported in Pinal County.
Hamadeh's attorneys are now trying to argue that Pinal County's mistakes amount to voter disenfranchisement and are grounds for re-litigating the 2022 election. The candidate is further suggesting that the discrepancies were withheld from the public before the Mohave County judge originally dismissed Hamadeh's challenge.
“Pinal County employed a rigorous process that revealed serious issues related to voter disenfranchisement," Hamadeh said. "I just want an accurate vote total—nothing more, nothing less—on behalf of the voters of Arizona.”
Pinal County officials said Wednesday they were under a court order to not publicly discuss recount results until they had been certified by a judge.
Under Arizona law, Hamadeh must prove that not only election officials erred but that he would have won his race without their alleged misconduct.
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