PHOENIX — Three weeks after the election and nearly a week after all votes were tallied, Gov. Doug Ducey for the first time acknowledged Tuesday that Joe Biden won the race for president in Arizona and is entitled to the state’s 11 electoral votes.

“I trust our election system,” Ducey said in an interview with conservative radio talk show host Mike Broomhead.

“There’s integrity in our election system,” Ducey continued. “Joe Biden did win Arizona.”

And the governor said he anticipates final certification of the results this coming week.

But Ducey has yet to criticize any members of his own party who continue to allege fraud in the election and seek to overturn the results in Arizona.

That includes Kelli Ward, chair of the Arizona Republican Party, who continues to insist there are irregularities that need to be investigated. And Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, who wants a special legislative session to “take evidence and make a decision on whether fraud corrupted our 2020 elections.”

As recently as last week, the governor refused to acknowledge the results even as he said he had seen not evidence of “widespread fraud or irregularity” in the conduct of the Arizona election though he “heard about it.” But he pointed out at the time that there were still lawsuits pending by President Trump and his supporters challenging the results.

All those existing claims have now been resolved.

The ruling on one of those challenges cleared the way for Maricopa County supervisors on Friday to formally certify the results of the vote. It showed Biden gaining more than 45,000 more votes than Trump in the state’s largest county, providing a crucial margin that helped him take the state by fewer than 11,000 votes.

On Monday, Mohave County supervisors, who initially had balked at their own certification, followed suit, with all 15 Arizona counties now having official tallies.

That leaves only for the formal state “canvass,” set for this coming Monday, to make the results official. Ducey is required by state law to sign that certification, along with the secretary of state and the chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court.

There is still the possibility of litigation.

State law allows for post-canvass challenges within five days. But the grounds for bringing such a lawsuit more narrow than the already-dismissed claims which have centered on the procedures at polling places on Election Day and questions about the reliability of voting machines and their tallies.

Acceptable reasons for challenging the declared results of an election include misconduct on the part of election boards or those participating in the canvass, someone who was elected being ineligible for office, or bribes.

There is, however, one catch-all that could give challengers access to the courts: claims of “illegal votes.” That has been one of the president’s main claims, that results were changed by illegal ballots.

Trump attorney Rudolph Giuliani last week said he intends to file suit in Arizona along with other states. But there has been nothing brought to court so far.

“Any legal challenges that are going to come, those go through the courts,” Ducey said Tuesday. But he said that the formal certification will happen as scheduled.

Any post-canvass lawsuit would have to be resolved quickly.

Federal law requires any recounts or legal challenges in presidential races to be completed by Dec. 8. The Electoral College votes six days later.

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.