A Gateway Pundit reporter chased Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs at her local gym on Friday, asking about allegations of voter fraud during the 2022 midterm election.
Hobbs, a Democrat, beat Republican TV news anchor Kari Lake in the closely-watched Arizona gubernatorial race last November by a mere 17,000 votes, making it the closest election of the midterms. Lake, however, has refused to concede, arguing that long voting lines and issues printing ballots led to disenfranchisement in more conservative areas of Maricopa County, although her legal efforts to overturn the election results have repeatedly lost in court as judges have upheld the integrity of the election.
Despite Lake's failed attempts to overturn the election results, Hobbs continues to face questions from Republicans about the race, with Gateway Pundit reporter Jordan Conradson being the latest to confront her over the election.
According to an article posted by the right-wing news outlet, Conradson "ran into" Hobbs at a local gym on Friday morning and began asking her about election theories floated by conservatives that experts say have not been substantiated.
"I have some questions about the election in Arizona. You know, Maricopa County, they did these secret testing on the machines, which per the election procedural manual, you were supposed to oversee to additional testing. Did you authorize this?" he asked. "Ms. Hobbs? What about the signatures on the mail-in ballot affidavits. Are you aware of what those look like? They look nothing like the signature of the voter."
Hobbs, who appeared to be flanked by security, was escorted out of the gym and declined to answer his questions.
"Give it a f****** rest, Jordan," Hobbs responded. "I'm at the gym."
Conradson then asked, "Give it an effing rest? Is that what you said?" to which Hobbs hit back, "I sure did."
Newsweek reached out to Hobbs' office for comment via email.
Video of the interaction posted by Twitter account PatriotTakes went viral on social media, with tweets showing the footage amassing millions of views on the platform by Saturday morning. Hobbs' response received mixed reaction from social media users, with some accusing the Gateway Pundit of harassment. Others, however, said she should take questions from her constituents.
"The hero we need," tweeted political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen.
"Not exactly Hobbs' number 1 fan over here but tbh, I'd probably react in the same way. It's a mystery to me as to what these people think they'll gain by harassing politicians with dumb questions while they're going about their daily lives," tweeted Twitter user @BushPosting on Saturday morning.
Republican strategist Joey Mannarino tweeted: The absolute disgusting arrogance. If you're a Governor, you answer to your constituents. This is sickening."
The video marks the latest instance in which allegations of harassment arose over public confrontations of politicians. In 2021, activists faced criticism after following Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, then a Democrat who has since switched her party affiliation to independent, into a bathroom to discuss her opposition to President Joe Biden's expansive economic recovery plan.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more
