ARIZONA NEWS

Maricopa County supervisor urges GOP colleagues to move on from 2020

Sep 24, 2021, 9:41 AM | Updated: 11:40 am

Then-candidate Joe Biden smiles during a December 2019 campaign stop in Iowa. (File Photo by Scott ...

Then-candidate Joe Biden smiles during a December 2019 campaign stop in Iowa. (File Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

(File Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

PHOENIX – Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates hopes his fellow Arizona Republicans can move on from 2020 now that election review results are expected to corroborate what he’s known since votes were officially tallied in November: Joe Biden won.

“To me this is hopefully the beginning of the end of the big lie,” Gates told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Friday. “Now we have had a report issued by the Cyber Ninjas that shows that Joe Biden won Maricopa County.

“It’s now time for those other elected officials, the Republicans in the state, to stand up, speak out, say this election is over, Joe Biden won. There is absolutely no reason for my fellow Republican elected officials to remain silent.”

Cyber Ninjas and the other contractors hired by Arizona Senate Republican leaders to review the 2020 presidential and U.S. Senate elections in metro Phoenix were set to present their findings during a livestreamed hearing Friday afternoon.

Draft versions of the report were leaked to multiple media outlets Thursday night and revealed that the contractors’ hand recount of nearly 2.1 million ballots produced results similar to the ones certified by state officials, including Republican Gov. Doug Ducey and Attorney General Mark Brnovich.

The draft alleges a number of shortcomings in election procedures and suggested the final tally still might not be reliable.

County officials are saying any discrepancies are likely to be the result of the Cyber Ninjas’ lack of expertise and haphazard procedures.

“When you get into these sort of anomalies that they may take and try and show systemic problems with Maricopa County elections, that’s where I push back,” Gates said.

“And I would argue that many of these faulty conclusions that they may draw is because of the fact that these individuals who did this audit report do not have election experience, one, and, two, are known partisans.”

Arizona Senate President Karen Fann has publicly maintained that she wanted the review done to find ways to improve election integrity, not as a means to overturn the election results.

However, many supporters of former President Donald Trump see it as a step toward somehow returning him to office.

Despite his skepticism, Gates said wouldn’t be against considering valid recommendations for improving the election system if there are any in the report, which is coming out more than five months after the review started and nearly 11 months after the election.

“To the extent that there are good suggestions, if there are any, with our processes moving forward that come out of this process, that’s great,” he said.

“But it’s time to move on from the 2020 election.”

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.
comments powered by Disqus

Arizona News

Antwaun Ware received a life sentence for killing Jasmine Dunbar in 2018....

Kevin Stone

Man who killed woman, left baby on side of West Valley road in 2018 gets life sentence

A man who killed his ex-girlfriend and abandoned her baby on the side of a West Valley road in 2018 was sentenced to life in prison.

28 minutes ago

Silver Alert issued for 68-year-old man last seen in Phoenix...

KTAR.com

Silver Alert canceled after missing 68-year-old Valley man returns home

A Silver Alert was canceled after a missing 68-year-old man named Gregory Wascher who was last seen on Wednesday returned home on Friday.

3 hours ago

APS energy customers will soon see another rate increase....

Kevin Stone

Here’s why APS energy customers will soon see another rate increase

APS energy customers will soon see another rate increase after state regulators signed off on a proposed adjustment this week.

3 hours ago

A man died after being pulled from a house fire in Phoenix's Arcadia neighborhood on Friday morning...

Kevin Stone

Man dead after house fire in Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood

A man died after being pulled from a house fire in Phoenix's Arcadia neighborhood on Friday morning, authorities said.

4 hours ago

off-road vehicle crash...

Kevin Stone

1 teen killed, another seriously injured in off-road vehicle crash at Phoenix canal

One teenager was killed and another was seriously injured in an off-road vehicle crash at a Phoenix canal on Thursday evening, authorities said.

5 hours ago

A new report found one-third of Arizona public grade school students are chronically absent from sc...

Balin Overstolz

Chronic absentee rate for Arizona students remains far above pre-pandemic level, study finds

A new report found one-third of Arizona public grade school students are chronically absent from school, which is double the absence rate before the pandemic.

7 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Asset Preservation Wealth & Tax

How to optimize the most money in 2024 tax returns

As tax season begins, getting your financials in order is important to maximize your tax return.

...

Bright Wealth Management

How IRAs are a helpful tool in retirement planning

When it comes to retirement planning, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) can be a great tool for income growth.

...

The UPS Store

How The UPS Store is giving back to the community

PHOENIX -- As 2024 nears a close, The UPS Store is looking to give back to the Arizona community with the holiday season approaching.

Maricopa County supervisor urges GOP colleagues to move on from 2020