PHOENIX — While most county registrars are preparing for the 2024 election, Maricopa County registrar Stephen Richer cannot escape the 2022 election.
Kari Lake will not forgive him.
Lake was confident he would be Arizona’s next governor, but when that didn’t happen, he told his supporters, “Our campaign was so strong, they disrupted the running of Election Day.” They had to steal our votes in broad daylight.”
Richer, who is also a Republican like Mr. Lake, said Mr. Lake’s “they” were the Maricopa County Supervisory Board and himself.
After months of allegations, insults and threats about his involvement in the stolen election, Richer is fighting back.
“These are the serious charges she has made against me, which are specific and which have been deemed false by the court,” Richer said. “She keeps saying that, and they’ve done me a great deal of damage: check, check, check every element of a defamation lawsuit.”
Mr. Lake blamed the recorder for the problem with the ballot printer and accused Mr. Lake of adding more than 300,000 invalid ballots to the Maricopa County ballot. All to steal her election from her.
The court ruled that these charges were without merit. However, the county registrar said the threats against him have not stopped. “I have received tens of thousands of messages to the effect that ‘you are a traitor’ and ‘you should be hanged’. Each time Ms. Lake posts, there are usually quite a few direct messages.”
In his defamation lawsuit against Lake, Richer alleges he and his family have been targeted with violence and even death threats. their lives changed.
That didn’t stop Richer from using social media to attack bears. In one tweet, Richer joked about how Lake would characterize a court defeat. Corrupt Judges, Stupid Judges, Deep State, or Mature Interests.
Kali Lake lost yet another election trial.
What will happen now?
— Stephen Richer—Maricopa Cnty Recorder (prsnl acct) (@stephen_richer) May 23, 2023
But Richer insists what’s happening to him is no laughing matter. And Lake’s refusal to move on from 2022 means he can’t do that either.
“These are serious accusations she is making against me. She knows they are false. So we can’t say this is false, please stop. So now “I’m trying another way,” he said.
The 2024 election season is already here. The Republican presidential primary is less than a year away.
