In Arizona’s race for governor, Kari Lake fans Republican fury over Fauci, fentanyl and gender-affirming care

TEMPE, Ariz. — On a windy, warm November night, thousands of Arizona Democrats lined the perimeter of a Tempe high school, desperate to get into the school’s auditorium for a chance to see former President Barack Obama. They weren’t optimistic — about getting in, or the party’s chances in the midterms.

At the last-minute rally with gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs and Sen. Mark Kelly, attendee Judy Esposito groused: “Where was Obama a few months ago?”

Hobbs, a longtime state legislator and current Arizona secretary of state, is locked in a dead-heat race with Republican candidate Kari Lake, a charismatic former broadcast journalist who has earned a Trump endorsement and whispers about being the next GOP star. 

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