United States politics
The recordFiled October 16, 2026Checked October 16, 2026
Did Kari Lake win Arizona's 2022 governor race?
At an Oct. 14 rally in Bullhead City, Trump said Lake “won that election” and that Maricopa's machines were “broken purposely” in Republican areas. Arizona's courts rejected both claims.
FP verdict
This doesn't match the data.
Confidence score: 1/10 — Contradicted by the certified result and Arizona court rulings, and by reporting from AP, NBC, KJZZ and KTAR showing printer problems hit about a third of vote centers, including Democratic-leaning areas.
Sourced from MS NOW, this doesn't match the data.
“She won that election… The damn machines were broken in Republican areas. They were broken purposely, and you couldn't vote and Katie Hobbs had a lot to do with it.”
Hobbs won in 2022. Lake's election contest failed at trial, at the Arizona Court of Appeals, and at the Arizona Supreme Court, which sanctioned her lawyers in May 2023 for a false claim made in the case. Printer problems hit about a third of Maricopa vote centers, including Democratic-leaning ones. Affected ballots were counted at the central facility. Courts found no evidence the problems were intentional.
Left
Left · Left-leaning US report
MS NOW
Trump renews false election fraud claims in Arizona while boosting Biggs
October 14, 2026
investigations and court rulings found no evidence that the malfunctions were intentionally orchestrated
Right
No right-leaning coverage found
How the coverage differs
This story doesn't have both a left- and a right-leaning article paired, so there's nothing to compare.
Shows its work
How this rating was reached
- Lie
- False
- Misleading
- Mostly false
- Half true
- Mostly true
- True
- Unproven
01
The claim
At a Bullhead City rally, Trump said Lake won and that machines were “broken purposely” in Republican areas.
02
The certified result
Hobbs narrowly defeated Lake in 2022.
03
Not just Republican areas
About a third of Maricopa vote centers had printing problems, including in Democratic-leaning areas. The machines were rejecting ballots, not misreading them, and the problem was fixed that afternoon.
04
The courts
The Arizona Supreme Court affirmed the rejection of Lake's contest except a signature-verification claim, which was remanded and later lost. In May 2023 it sanctioned Lake's attorneys.
05
Why False
Two independent sources agree: Arizona's courts and contemporaneous AP/KJZZ reporting. Intent is not assessed, so this is not rated Lie.
06
The buried fact
Trump's own candidate disagrees with him. Andy Biggs, whom Trump was in Bullhead City to boost, told KTAR in July: "I think every court has said she won," which KTAR reports as Biggs calling the race settled. Coverage on the left mostly ignores that the printer failures were real and caused long lines, which is why the story still lands with voters.
07
What each side gets right, and hides
Critics are right that it's false. They gloss over the real printer failures and long lines. Trump is right that machines failed. He hides that they failed across both parties' areas and that every ballot was counted centrally.
Reporting only: no specific source link.
08
The question to ask
If the Republican running for governor says every court called it for Hobbs, why is the president still telling Arizona voters it was rigged, three weeks before they vote on new election officials?
Reporting only: no specific source link.
Caveats and limits
Not verified
- The Court of Appeals opinion (Feb. 2023) and the March 22, 2023 Supreme Court order could not be accessed, so we didn't read them directly. The court findings come from the May 2023 sanctions order, which recites that history, plus news reports.
- No full rally transcript was opened. Quotes vary slightly between outlets.
- No right-leaning outlet's coverage was found. Trump's own words are the right-side source, and Fox's Oct. 15 live blog only says he 'repeated disputed claims.'
- Open question: Did Trump name the judge in the speech, and is there a security response to 'go to hell'?
Caveats
- This rates the factual claim. Whether Trump knows it is false is not assessed, and a Lie rating would need the owner's sign-off.
- Trump's 2020 claims at the same rally are not covered here.
Where the coverage splits
Contradictions
Places the two reports pull apart from each other, or from the record they both cite. A difference in emphasis is labeled as emphasis.
Each side's framing
Left coverage
KJZZ, Oct. 14, 2026: "about a third of the voting centers across Maricopa County reported printing issues… including in Democrat-leaning areas. Those ballots were counted instead… at the county's central elections warehouse."
Right coverage
Trump, Oct. 14, 2026: "She won that election, probably won the other one, too." … "You ought to tell that judge to go to hell."
The record
Trump's own candidate disagrees with him. Andy Biggs, whom Trump was in Bullhead City to boost, told KTAR in July: "I think every court has said she won," which KTAR reports as Biggs calling the race settled. Coverage on the left mostly ignores that the printer failures were real and caused long lines, which is why the story still lands with voters.
Sources
Secondary reporting
Donald Trump Bullhead City rally: Copper, rent and Kari LakeKTAR · October 14, 2026
She won that election, probably won the other one, too.
Secondary reporting
Trump renews false election fraud claims in Arizona while boosting BiggsMS NOW · October 14, 2026
Secondary reporting
Donald Trump Bullhead City rally: Copper, rent and Kari LakeKTAR · October 14, 2026
Secondary reporting
Trump's Arizona visit on Wednesday backs Biggs in governor's raceKJZZ · October 14, 2026
Secondary reporting
Trump holds rallies in Montana and Arizona (live blog)NBC News · October 14, 2026
Secondary reporting
Trump campaigns in Bullhead City to boost RepublicansAZFamily / AP · October 14, 2026
Primary · official record
Lake v. Hobbs, CV-23-0046-PR, Decision Order (sanctions)Arizona Supreme Court · May 4, 2023
Challenge this verdict
Think we got something wrong? Tell us what and show the source. Submissions are queued and reviewed with AI assistance, not by an independent human. Nothing changes on the site automatically. See corrections.
Also in this edition
- Half trueIs Xavier Becerra the 'son of immigrants'?
- UnprovenIs Abdul El-Sayed 'a Muslim Brotherhood guy'?
- UnprovenIs DHS illegally building a national voter database?
- MisleadingAre 70% of ICE detainees criminals, or have 70% no record?
- TrueIs the FBI investigating suspicious letters sent to Congress and election offices?
- TrueDid Trump cancel the livestream of the Fort Hood shooter's execution?
- Mostly trueDid inflation rise to 3.7% in September?
- TrueDid James Talarico raise a record $64 million last quarter?
- TrueDid the WSJ report that the Omar probe aims to strip her citizenship?
- Mostly trueWas Ukraine's Starlink restricted, and did it resume refinery strikes?
- TrueDid wholesale prices post their biggest jump since 2022?
- TrueHas the Obama Presidential Center's cost tripled to $1 billion?
- TrueDid Georgia set an early-voting record?
- TrueDid the feds sue to stop California from counting 20,000 suspected noncitizens' ballots?
- TrueWere suspicious letters sent to Schumer and other Democratic senators?
- FalseRep. Andy Harris says a student reporter broke Maryland's recording law
- TrueWas Matt Gaetz sued in federal court over sex trafficking allegations?
- Mostly trueWas Nancy Mace's ex-fiancé charged with sex crimes?
- FalseIs press secretary Katie Zacharia an attorney, as Trump said?