BREAKING: Hobbs Wins in AZ

NBC News and others are now calling the Arizona Governors race for Democrat Katie Hobbs. Hobbs defeats arch-election-denier Republican Kari Lake.

This was a pretty close race, according to the polls. But Lake was expected to win this one. She had been consistently running two or three points ahead of Hobbs. There was also a lot of Democratic backbiting about Hobbs decision to refuse to debate. That can make sense to stigmatize and deny legitimacy to an opponent. But it rings kind of hollow if that opponent who lacks legitimacy as a potential governor is actually beating you. Whatever the merits of that Hobbs won. So either it was a good strategy or if it was a bad one then she got away with it. Democrats now hold the governorships in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona, four critical states going into 2024.