By MichaelMH Published Nov. 14, 2022
The MAGA movement is out in force in Maricopa County, Arizona, as votes continue to be counted in last week's midterm elections. Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake's allies are questioning the ballots cast outside same-day voting as fraudulent, echoing Donald Trump's lies after his own election loss, and right-wing demonstrators have gathered outside vote-counting centers to denounce election officials and sheriff's deputies stationed outside as traitors, reported The Bulwark.
"PATRIOTS RISE UP to RALLY tomorrow SATURDAY NOON at the Maricopa County Elections office (510 S. 3rd Ave. Phoenix) to pray for the Light to shine in the darkness and for His truth to be revealed!" posted far-right state Sen. Wendy Rogers last week.
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The MAGA movement—short for "Make America Great Again"—is a political movement that began during Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The movement's name is derived from Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again." The MAGA movement is primarily composed of white nationalists, white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and other far-right extremists who believe that America is an inherently white nation and that it should remain so.
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The MAGA movement has been widely denounced by both major political parties, as well as by multiple civil rights organizations. Despite this, the movement has continued to grow in strength and size since Trump's election. In the weeks since the midterms, the MAGA movement has been especially active in Maricopa County, Arizona—a county that went for Trump in 2016 but flipped for Biden in 2020.
Kari Lake, a right-wing talk radio host who ran for governor of Arizona on a platform of "securing the border" and "stopping illegal immigration," has most likely lost her bid for office last week. However, her allies have refused to accept that she faces likely defeat, instead claiming that the election was rigged against her and will be demanding a recount. These claims are entirely baseless; there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Arizona or anywhere else in the country.
Related: Arizona official hits back at Kari Lake over vote-counting......
Nonetheless, the MAGA movement has latched onto these claims and is using them to try to subvert the will of the voters. Right-wing demonstrators have been gathering outside vote-counting centers in Maricopa County, shouting slogans like "stop the steal" and "count the votes." These demonstrators have also been harassing election officials and sheriff's deputies stationed outside the centers.
The MAGA movement's attempts to subvert democracy are dangerous and must be stopped. We cannot allow a minority of far-right extremists to dictate how our country is run. We must stand up to them and defend our democracy—before it's too late.