Democrat Katie Hobbs defeats Republican Kari Lake in Arizona governor race, NBC projects

Katie Hobbs, the Democrat secretary of state of Arizona, will become the state’s next governor after defeating Republican candidate Kari Lake, who amplified Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election, NBC News projected Monday.

It was one of the country’s most-watched gubernatorial races, especially after Hobbs refused to debate Lake in a decision that drew vociferous criticism from Republicans.

As secretary of state for Arizona and overseer of the state’s 2020 election results, Hobbs received multiple death threats from Trump supporters after certifying President Joe Biden’s win. A central focus of her campaign was the protection of abortion rights as conservative lawmakers and judges attempt to resurrect state-wide bans on the procedure.

Lake routinely flaunted her Trump endorsement and frequently rehashed false claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” from the former president. She proposed increasing police funding and removing “groomers” from classrooms, referring to the anti-LGBTQ rhetoric that has proliferated in recent months. She also promised to finish building Trump’s infamous border wall.