(LifeSiteNews) — Trump-backed Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake scored a key victory Monday when a Maricopa County judge allowed her to challenge her reported election loss in court.
Lake, who reportedly lost her election contest against Democratic challenger Katie Hobbs amid reports of widespread voting machine malfunctions, will get to bring her case to court in a two-day trial slated to take place before January 2, Fox News reported.
In a December 19 ruling, Judge Peter Thompson greenlit two of the 10 claims brought by Lake in a lawsuit filed earlier this month. The claims Lake’s attorneys may present at trial concern complaints regarding malfunctioning voting machines and concerns about ballot chain of custody.
Judge Thompson tossed out the other eight claims, arguing they didn’t meet the criteria under state law for challenging an election, according to Fox.
‘BUCKLE UP, AMERICA’: Kari Lake reacts after judge orders trial for claims of misconduct in Arizona’s gubernatorial election https://t.co/Kvnt0hmkBg
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 20, 2022
Lake, who made election integrity and border security key planks of her gubernatorial campaign, has refused to concede to Hobbs after media outlets projected that the Democratic candidate won the governor’s race after days of ballot-counting.
On Monday, Lake and her team hailed the news of their lawsuit going to trial as a victory, blasting legacy media outlets for focusing on the judge’s decision to toss most of her challenges instead of highlighting the fact that the challenge will indeed go to court.
RELATED: Kari Lake, Republican attorney general candidate sue Maricopa County over handling of 2022 election
“Our Election Case is going to trial,” Lake wrote on Twitter, adding that her opponent’s effort “to have our case thrown out FAILED” and Hobbs “will have to take the stand & testify.”
“Buckle up, America,” Lake said. “This is far from over.”
BREAKING: Our Election Case is going to trial. Katie Hobbs attempt to have our case thrown out FAILED. She will have to take the stand & testify.
Buckle up, America.
This is far from over. pic.twitter.com/291EnXPP3U— Kari Lake (@KariLake) December 20, 2022
In a separate tweet published by Lake’s official campaign Twitter account, the Republican candidate’s team said a local Fox affiliate’s headline emphasizing the dismissal of eight of the 10 claims was “spin.”
“We will be allowed to argue before the court that the machines were compromised & that the chain of custody was broken casting the entire election in doubt,” Lake’s team said. “We are excited to make our case.”
This is spin by @FOX10Phoenix.
We will be allowed to argue before the court that the machines were compromised & that the chain of custody was broken casting the entire election in doubt.
We are excited to make our case. https://t.co/SN6rNskNo5
— Kari Lake War Room (@KariLakeWarRoom) December 20, 2022
The ruling authorizing Lake to make her case challenging the results of the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election came after widespread voting issues on Election Day made national news and sparked suspicions of election mishandling.
Election day voting machine errors, which reportedly affected between 20% and 48% of Maricopa County’s voting locations, spurred the Arizona Republican Attorney General’s office to demand that county officials submit a report regarding how it handled the election.
RELATED: Voting machine breakdowns cause early Election Day anxieties, flashbacks to 2020
In the letter, the office of the attorney general said it had “received hundreds of complaints since Election Day pertaining to issues related to the administration of the 2022 General Election in Maricopa County.”
“These complaints go beyond pure speculation but include firsthand witness accounts that raise concerns regarding Maricopa’s lawful compliance with Arizona election law,” the letter read.
Concerns about election integrity also led two Arizona counties to delay their election certification. However, all counties have now formally certified the results of the contest.
Hobbs, Arizona’s outgoing Secretary of State who refused to recuse herself from overseeing her own election contest, formally certified her win on December 5.
Meanwhile, despite being a popular personality among Republicans, Lake may have sparked some concerns last week among religious and social conservatives for her participation in former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago gala for gay “conservatives” where he affirmed that he is “fighting for the gay community.”
At the gala, Lake used coarse language when she blasted the “evil b*stards” who she said stole the “election in broad daylight,” adding that “if they think they’re going to get away with it, they messed with the wrong b*tch.”