Arizona GOP's Hamadeh vows to appeal after judge rejects bid for new election trial

An Arizona judge on Friday rejected former Attorney General candidate Abe Hamadeh's bid for a new election trial, prompting a vow to appeal from the Republican.

Hamadeh narrowly lost his bid for the state attorney generalship in 2022 and has unsuccessfully challenged the results of the contest, contending that he was the legitimate victor.

Judge Lee F. Jantzen did not explain his reasoning in the order, but admitted "this is a close call in a close race."

Hamadeh insisted he could not comment on Jantzen's decision without knowing his reasoning, but said in a statement that "the situation is very simple: the contest was not as close as it stands now. If all legal votes are counted, I win this race for attorney general."

He further vowed to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court, saying he feels "confident that justice will be served and the will of the people will be honored."

"Taking on this legal challenge is the greatest honor of my life. Free and fair elections matter. When we vote, the results should be accurate," he concluded. "When it’s all said and done, we will prevail on the merits and we will restore faith in our election system."

Hamadeh is not the only Republican contesting the results of an Arizona contest. 2022 gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has maintained her claims that she won the contest over now-Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and continues to pursue her electoral challenge.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.