Kari Lake 'Won't Stop,' Appeals Lawsuit Defeat and $33,000 in Fees

Election denier and former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake promised that she "won't stop" fighting after her election lawsuit got struck down in court.

Lake, who lost to Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs in November, attempted to challenge the election results in a suit filed this month, accusing Hobbs and Maricopa County election officials of intentionally interfering with the midterm vote.

The former candidate, who was backed by ex-President Donald Trump, faces over $33,000 in legal fees for witnesses who helped defend Hobbs and election officials in the suit's two-day trial. The defendants had filed a motion to sanction Lake and her legal team for nearly $700,000 on Monday, but Maricopa County Judge Peter Thompson, who has presided over the case, denied the request in a decision on Tuesday.

Thompson wrote in his order that while Lake had failed to provide "clear and convincing evidence" to support her claims of intentional election misconduct, that did not "equate" to her claims being "groundless" or presented in "bad faith." Hobbs and Maricopa County officials had argued in their motion to sanction that Lake's lawsuit was brought forward without "legitimate justification."

Lake spoke with conservative podcast host Steve Bannon on Tuesday to discuss proposed sanctions from Hobbs, and said that the motion was "outrageous."

"I won't stop," Lake said while appearing on Bannon's War Room. "If they think this will make me stop, they're wrong."

Lake also filed to appeal Thompson's decision to dismiss her case on Tuesday, and told Bannon prior to filing that her team was unable to present all of their evidence in the shortened window of the trial.

"We have so much evidence in this case," Lake said. "We wish we could have presented it to show the whole world in court, but we only have five hours to make our case, which is very unfortunate for the people of Arizona."

During her campaign run, Lake was an outspoken supporter of Trump, and continued to push the former president's lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Lake also sidestepped questions when asked prior to the midterm election if she would commit to conceding in the election if she lost to Hobbs.

Other former Arizona Republican candidates also challenged the results of Arizona's election in court. The lawsuit from Mark Finchem, who ran for secretary of state, was dismissed before it could reach court, and ex-candidate for attorney general, Abraham Hamadeh, lost the trial in his suit to overturn his loss to Democrat Kris Mayes.

Finchem and Hamadeh have also refused to concede in the 2022 election.

Newsweek hasreached out to Hobbs' office for comment.