Arizona officials have certified Joe Biden’s narrow victory over President Donald Trump in the state.
Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and Republican Gov. Doug Ducey defended the integrity of the election even as lawyers for Trump were across town Monday arguing, without evidence, to nine Republican lawmakers that the election was marred by fraud.
Lawsuits and legal action taken by the Trump campaign did not go far in Arizona, in at least one instance, the lawyers dropped a case seeking a recount of Election Day ballots.
At Monday's certification event, Ducey said, “We do elections well here in Arizona. The system is strong.”
The move by Ducey has sparked a feud between himself and President Trump online, as Trump tweeted that Republicans would "long remember" that he signed off on the election results while Trump's legal team still attempts to fight the results.
Ducey responded online and said that he stands by the state's election process.
I’ve been pretty outspoken about Arizona’s election system, and bragged about it quite a bit, including in the Oval Office. And for good reason. 1/
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) December 1, 2020
Click directly on the Tweet to read Gov. Ducey's full statement.
The certification also paves the way for Democrat Mark Kelly to take his seat in the U.S. Senate, formalizing his victory in a special election to replace the late John McCain.
Trump also criticized Ducey for being "in a rush" to swear in Kelly after he defeated Republican Martha McSally in the election.
Biden won Arizona by 0.3% of the nearly 3.4 million ballots cast, a margin of just under 10,500 votes. He’s the second Democrat in 70 years to win the state. Arizona's 11 electoral college votes will go to Biden.
Kelly is scheduled to be sworn in on Wednesday in Washington.
