For Immediate Release
Thursday, Nov. 3rd, 2022
Contact: Josselyn Berry, Jberry@azdem.org
President Obama Rips Into Republicans, Fires Up Democrats At Massive Rally In Arizona
PHOENIX– Former President Barack Obama took Kari Lake to task last night at a massive Get Out the Vote rally in South Phoenix where he stood alongside Democratic nominee for governor Katie Hobbs. Obama urged voters to support Hobbs and all Democrats on the ballot while calling for Arizona to defeat Lake’s extremist, anti-democracy agenda. Lake has repeatedly pushed election lies, crusaded against reproductive rights, and announced a bare bones economic agenda that was panned by economic experts and Republicans.
Hobbs took the stage to chants of “Katie, Katie,” before telling the crowd, “Democracy is the system that will send Kari Lake back to whatever dark corner of the internet she came from.”
During his speech, Obama heaped praise on Hobbs saying, “She knows what it’s like to struggle, which is why her first job out of college was as a social worker. She helped run one of the largest domestic violence centers in the country. That’s what she cares about-You. When her opponent tries to undermine our elections, Katie’s been protecting them. Even if that meant getting death threats for doing her job. So you know she stands up for what’s right,” he said. Obama also mercilessly went after Lake and her attacks on Democracy and her complete lack of qualifications. “I don’t care how nicely they say it, how poised they are, how well lit they are. It turns out being president or governor is about more than snappy lines and good lighting,” he said in a jab at Lake’s career as a TV anchor.
Read On For Coverage of the Rally:
- 12 News––Obama was the final speaker of the program. He talked about a variety of topics in Arizona from abortion to ballot box watchers and the Republican candidates. “Arizona needs a Governor who actually cares about you,” he said.
- Arizona Republic—Former President Barack Obama sought to paint gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and U.S. Senate hopeful Blake Masters as dangerous and unqualified to lead Arizona. Lake, he said, was running to serve Donald Trump’s interest, not those of Arizonans.
- Politico—Former President Barack Obama warned Wednesday that if election deniers running for statewide office in Arizona win next week, “democracy as we know it” may die there. “If you’ve got election deniers serving as your governor, as your senator, as your secretary of state, as your attorney general, then democracy as we know it may not survive in Arizona.”