Trump-boosting Arizona GOP chief Kelli Ward's narrow victory in doubt with calls for audit
by Daniel Chaitin, Breaking News Editor & Carly Roman, Associate News Editor
January 28, 2021 12:01 AMA top Arizona ally of former President Donald Trump in his campaign to challenge the results of the 2020 election is now facing demands for a closer examination of her own contest that she narrowly won.
Kelli Ward, who was reelected chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party this month by a mere 42 votes, is so far silent in the face of calls for the party, including from her top challenger, to conduct an audit of the results.
“This isn’t about the chairman’s race," Sergio Arellano, the Arizona businessman who came in second place to Ward in their weekend election face-off, said in a written statement obtained by the Arizona Republic. "This is about election integrity."
Kim Owens, a GOP consultant serving as Arellano's spokesperson, said irregularities in the voting process demanded an audit. The report said doubts about the GOP chief race were raised after the winner of another contest, for an at-large committee member position, was told that she had lost. In a separate statement, Arellano claimed that he "fully" expects the audit to confirm the results of his contest, but the "reversal" of that other race prompted "a number of committeemen" to raise concerns and ask him to request an audit "because only a candidate for party office can do so."
“This is not about one person or one race. It’s about the integrity of our elections," Owens said. "With the absence of the tapes from the machines or any documentation of where votes came from, and in most races, a lack of numbers, of tallies, we need to see evidence that everything is as it should be.â€
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/arizona-kelli-ward-victory-in-doubt-calls-for-audit