Republican Mark Finchem in Arizona faced accusations of being a “January 6 insurrectionist” from Adrian Fontes.
Republican state Rep. Mark Finchem, who had the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, lost to Democrat Adrian Fontes in the contest for Arizona’s top election official. Finchem had previously stated that he would not have validated President Biden’s win in the state.
Maricopa County election officer turned candidate Fontes labeled Finchem a “January 6 insurrectionist” and “election denier” for going to the Trump rally before the unrest in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021.
He ran for office on a platform of making voting easier for registered voters and boosting openness at the secretary of state’s office. The Associated Press declared Fontes the winner late Friday.
“It is a tremendous honor to be the presumed future Secretary of State of Arizona. I’m going to make it my job to improve relations between us after they’ve deteriorated over the past several years, “Fontes declared in his remarks.
Voters in Arizona have my word that I will never stop fighting for the principle of free and fair elections, and I will do everything I can to rekindle the spirit of cooperation and brotherhood in our great nation.
Fontes’s role as secretary of state includes certifying voting equipment, election results, candidates, and ballot initiatives, as well as managing the general administration of elections. Additionally, the secretary of state functions similarly to a lieutenant governor in other states and would be the first in line to replace the governor in the case of the governor’s death, resignation, or expulsion from office.
Katie Hobbs, the Democratic incumbent in the office of Arizona secretary of state, is now ahead of her Republican opponent, Kari Lake. However, the election is too close to call. On Friday night, Fox News projected that Democratic incumbent Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona would be re-elected over Republican opponent Blake Masters.
Trump’s unfounded assertions that the 2020 presidential election was rigged were supported by prominent Republicans, including Finchem and Masters. In his speech, Finchem noted the “decay of popular faith in our elections.”
As of early on Saturday, neither contender has accepted victory. Finchem predicted that the remaining ballots from Maricopa County would swing the election to the Republicans just after midnight.
According to the most recent update, Arizona election authorities said Friday that there are fewer than 300,000 votes left to tally. Bill Gates, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, indicated that the vast majority of those ballots were absentee ballots that were dropped off on Election Day.
On Saturday, officials will begin an obligatory manual count of some races to verify the accuracy of the voting machines. As Gates put it, a “statistically substantial” number of ballots will be counted.
He also said that all parties are “working together” to make sure votes are counted correctly.
Before he won the primary in August, Finchem said in June that he would not accept defeat gracefully.
“This person isn’t going to give a speech in which he concedes. If I suspect even the tiniest irregularity, I will insist on a complete hand count. Moreover, I will strongly recommend that the incoming governor do the same, “he had said back then.