2022 Arizona Secretary of State election
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Nominee Adrian Fontes Mark Finchem
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 1,320,619 1,200,411
Percentage 52.4% 47.6%
County results
Fontes:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Finchem:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Secretary of State before election

Katie Hobbs
Democratic

Elected Secretary of State

Adrian Fontes
Democratic

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The 2022 Arizona Secretary of State election was held on Tuesday November 8, to elect the next Secretary of State of Arizona Incumbent Secretary of State Katie Hobbs declined to run for a second term to instead run for governor.[1] Primary elections were held on August 2, 2022.[2] Democrat and former Maricopa County recorder Adrian Fontes defeated Republican representative Mark Finchem by 4.8%.

Finchem was backed by the America First Secretary of State Coalition,[3][4] a Republican group supporting Secretary of State candidates who championed the far-right conspiracy theory that falsely claimed that Donald Trump won the 2020 United States presidential election. Due to a combination of Arizona's role as a swing state in the previous presidential election, Finchem's views, and the role of the Secretary of State in certifying elections, the race took upon an uncharacteristically high national profile.

Democratic primary

State house minority leader Reginald Bolding finished second in the primary.

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Declined

Debate

2022 Arizona Secretary of State democratic primary debate
No. Date Host Moderator Link Democratic Democratic
Key:
 P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
Reginald Bolding Adrian Fontes
1 Apr. 25, 2022 KAET Ted Simons YouTube P P

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Reginald
Bolding 		Adrian
Fontes 		Undecided
Lake Research Partners (D)[A] July 24–26, 2022 600 (LV) ± 4.0% 35% 30% 28%
OH Predictive Insights (D)[B] July 2022 537 (RV) ± 4.4% 29% 44% 27%
Lake Research Partners (D)[A] July 2022 – (LV) – 29% 35% 36%
Public Policy Polling (D)[C] July 8–9, 2022 740 (LV) ± 3.6% 18% 32% 51%
Lake Research Partners (D)[A] May 2022 – (LV) – 14% 35% 51%
OH Predictive Insights September 7–12, 2021 283 (RV) ± 5.8% 22% 17% 61%

Results

Democratic primary results by county
  Fontes
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  Bolding
  •   50–60%
Democratic primary results[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Adrian Fontes 302,681 52.50%
Democratic Reginald Bolding 273,815 47.50%
Total votes 576,496 100.0%

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Endorsements

Mark Finchem
U.S. Executive Branch officials
Organizations
Beau Lane
Statewide officials
Publications

Debate

2022 Arizona Secretary of State republican primary debate
No. Date Host Moderator Link Republican Republican Republican Republican
Key:
 P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
Shawnna Bolick Mark Finchem Beau Lane Michelle Ugenti-Rita
1 Jun. 25, 2022 KAET Ted Simons YouTube P A P P

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Shawnna
Bolick 		Mark
Finchem 		Beau
Lane 		Michelle
Ugenti-Rita 		Other Undecided
Rasmussen Reports July 27–28, 2022 710 (LV) ± 4.0% 11% 27% 16% 12% 10% 25%
OH Predictive Insights July 27, 2022 502 (LV) ± 4.4% 8% 32% 11% 9% – 41%
OH Predictive Insights June 30 – July 2, 2022 515 (LV) ± 4.3% 3% 14% 5% 6% – 72%
OH Predictive Insights April 4–5, 2022 500 (LV) ± 4.4% 3% 13% 2% 9% – 74%
OH Predictive Insights September 7–12, 2021 311 (RV) ± 5.6% 8% 11% – 7% – 74%
Hypothetical polling
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Mark
Finchem 		Kelly
Townsend 		Michelle
Ugenti-Rita 		Other Undecided
HighGround Public Affairs (R) May 3–5, 2021 400 (LV) ± 4.9% 5% 12% 4% 8%[b] 75%

Results

Republican primary results by county
  Finchem
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
Republican primary results[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mark Finchem 329,884 42.56%
Republican Beau Lane 181,058 23.36%
Republican Shawnna Bolick 149,779 19.32%
Republican Michelle Ugenti-Rita 114,391 14.76%
Total votes 775,101 100.0%

General election

Debate

2022 Arizona Secretary of State debate
No. Date Host Moderator Link Democratic Republican
Key:
 P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
Adrian Fontes Mark Finchem
1 Sep. 22, 2022 KAET Ted Simons YouTube P P

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball[19] Tossup November 3, 2022
Elections Daily[20] Lean D November 7, 2022

Endorsements

Adrian Fontes (D)
U.S. Executive Branch officials
U.S. Senators
U.S. Representatives
Statewide officials
State legislators
Local officials
Individuals
Organizations
Labor unions
Mark Finchem (R)
U.S. Executive Branch officials
Organizations

Polling

Graphical summary
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Adrian
Fontes (D) 		Mark
Finchem (R) 		Other Undecided
Data Orbital (R) November 4–6, 2022 550 (LV) ± 4.3% 47% 48% 1%[c] 4%
KAConsulting (R)[D] November 2–3, 2022 501 (LV) ± 4.4% 43% 45% – 9%
HighGround Inc. November 1–2, 2022 500 (LV) ± 4.4% 45% 42% 2%[d] 11%
Big Data Poll (R) October 31 – November 2, 2022 1,501 (LV) ± 3.0% 47% 47% – 6%
OH Predictive Insights October 24–26, 2022 600 (LV) ± 4.0% 48% 42% – 11%
Siena College/NYT October 24–26, 2022 604 (LV) ± 4.4% 47% 40% – 13%
BSP Research/Shaw & Co.[E] October 19–26, 2022 1,000 (RV) ± 3.1% 38% 37% 5%[e] 20%
Susquehanna Polling & Research (R)[F] October 14–18, 2022 600 (LV) ± 4.0% 47% 42% 1%[f] 10%
HighGround Inc. October 12–13, 2022 500 (LV) ± 4.4% 41% 42% 1%[g] 15%
CNN/SSRS September 26 – October 2, 2022 900 (RV) ± 4.4% 45% 44% 10%[h] –
795 (LV) ± 4.6% 45% 49% 6%[i] 1%
SurveyUSA (D)[G] September 27–30, 2022 563 (LV) ± 5.2% 44% 41% – 15%
Global Strategy Group (D)[H] September 13–20, 2022 800 (LV) ± 3.5% 46% 44% – 10%
The Trafalgar Group (R) September 14–17, 2022 1080 (LV) ± 2.9% 41% 48% – 11%
OH Predictive Insights September 6–9, 2022 654 (LV) ± 3.83% 35% 40% – 25%
Hypothetical polling
Katie Hobbs vs. Michelle Ugenti-Rita
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Katie
Hobbs (D) 		Michelle
Ugenti-Rita (R) 		Undecided
OH Predictive Insights March 8–12, 2021 690 (RV) ± 3.7% 36% 30% 35%
Generic Democrat vs. generic Republican
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Generic
Democrat 		Generic
Republican 		Undecided
OH Predictive Insights September 7–12, 2021 882 (RV) ± 3.3% 34% 37% 28%

Results

2022 Arizona Secretary of State election[28]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Adrian Fontes 1,320,619 52.38% +1.95%
Republican Mark Finchem 1,200,411 47.62% -1.94%
Total votes 2,521,030 100.0%
Democratic hold

By county

County Adrian Fontes
Democratic 		Mark Finchem
Republican 		Write-in Margin Total
votes
# % # % # % # %
Apache 17,476 66.57 8,776 33.43 5 0.02 8,700 33.14 26,614
Cochise 19,402 41.97 26,827 58.03 48 0.10 -7,425 -16.06 46,666
Coconino 34,482 64.15 19,270 35.85 40 0.07 14,212 28.30 54,727
Gila 8,176 36.70 14,103 63.30 13 0.06 -5,927 -26.6 22,450
Graham 3,246 30.27 7,478 69.73 0 0.00 -4,232 -39.46 10,847
Greenlee 978 40.63 1,429 59.37 0 0.00 -451 -18.74 2,446
La Paz 1,736 31.89 3,708 68.11 6 0.11 -1,972 -36.22 5,499
Maricopa 813,492 53.67 702,376 46.33 469 0.03 111,116 7.34 1,543,535
Mohave 20,901 26.05 59,320 73.95 16 0.02 -38,419 -47.90 81,510
Navajo 18,701 46.77 21,280 53.23 13 0.03 -2,579 -6.46 40,411
Pima 244,349 61.86 150,680 38.14 121 0.03 93,669 23.72 398,553
Pinal 62,618 44.00 79,696 56.00 34 0.02 -17,078 -12.00 143,826
Santa Cruz 9,181 70.14 3,909 29.86 4 0.03 5,272 40.28 13,099
Yavapai 45,876 37.59 76,162 62.41 43 0.03 -30,286 -24.82 123,191
Yuma 20,005 44.06 25,397 55.94 8 0.02 -5,392 -11.88 46,111
Totals 1,320,619 52.38 1,200,411 47.62 820 0.03 17,117 0.67 2,559,485

Post-election legal challenge

In December 2022, Mark Finchem filed a lawsuit petitioning for the election to be "nullified and redone"; the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice that month by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Melissa Julian, confirming Adrian Fontes' victory in the election.[29][30][31] While Finchem alleged that voting machines in Arizona were not properly certified, the judge rejected this, because the Election Assistance Commission did not vote to revoke certification, which is the procedure under federal law, so the judge rejected the merits of Finchem's arguments on voting machines certification.[31][32] The judge also rejected the merits of Finchem's arguments on voting software certification.[32] Next, regarding Finchem's issues with tabulating machines and a website listing for an estimated number of votes, the judge concluded that Finchem "does not allege that any of the votes cast were actually illegal" and does not allege that any legal vote was not counted, but only alleged "suspicions that some votes may not have been counted", so the judge rejected this argument as insufficient to overturn an election.[31][33]

Then, the judge rejected Finchem's allegations of "misconduct" by Secretary of State Katie Hobbs as insufficient.[31] Finchem argued that Hobbs should have recused after her gubernatorial opponent Kari Lake "perceived a conflict of interest", with the judge responding that this were "not well-pled facts; they are legal conclusions masquerading as alleged facts", and legal conclusions unsupported by Arizona law.[32] Regarding Hobbs' actions in telling Mohave County and Cochise County to certify their election by the November 28 deadline, the judge stated that it was Hobbs' responsibility "to ensure the canvass and certification of a general election is completed within the statutorily prescribed timeframes", and that it was not misconduct for her "to communicate with other governing bodies to ensure" thus.[33] Finally, the judge rejected Finchem's protest over his allegation that Twitter suspended his account in October 2022 as irrelevant because Twitter is not an "election official".[33]

Finchem appealed the rejection of his election challenge, then abandoned the appeal in July 2023, with his lawyer citing other failed 2022 election challenging lawsuits in Arizona.[34]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  2. ^ "Other" with 4%; Beau Lane with 0%
  3. ^ "Refused" with 1%
  4. ^ "Some other candidate" with 2%
  5. ^ "Someone else" with 5%
  6. ^ "Other" with 1%; "Refused" with <1%
  7. ^ "Some other candidate" with 1%
  8. ^ "Neither" with 7%; "Other" with 3%
  9. ^ "Neither" with 4%; "Other" with 2%
Partisan clients
  1. ^ a b c This poll was sponsored by Our Vote Our Voice, which supports Bolding
  2. ^ This poll was sponsored by an unknown PAC
  3. ^ This poll was sponsored by an unknown client
  4. ^ Poll conducted for Citizens United, a conservative non-profit organization.
  5. ^ Poll conducted for Univision.
  6. ^ Poll conducted for The Federalist, a conservative online magazine.
  7. ^ Poll sponsored by Fontes' campaign.
  8. ^ This poll was sponsored by End Citizens United and Let America Vote, who support Fontes

References

  1. ^ a b Oxford, Andrew. "In spotlight of audit, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs announces run for Arizona governor". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  2. ^ Pedrosa, Camila (April 25, 2022). "Group plans appeal in effort to keep Biggs, Gosar, Finchem off ballot". Arizona PBS. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  3. ^ Montellaro, Zach (August 1, 2022). "Trump-backed conspiracy theorist makes charge for chief election position in Arizona". Politico. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Candidates - America First Secretary of State Coalition". americafirstsos.com. November 26, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  5. ^ "Ex-Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes running for secretary of state". KTAR.com. June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "Meet Adrian Fontes". Elect Fontes. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  7. ^ Duda, Jeremy (June 14, 2021). "Bolding running for secretary of state, will face Fontes in Dem primary". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  8. ^ Services, Howard Fischer Capitol Media. "Rep. Finchem showing interest in running for Arizona secretary of state". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Arizona Secretary of State (August 22, 2022). "State of Arizona Official Canvass – August 2, 2022, Primary Election" (PDF). Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  10. ^ Villarreal, Daniel (March 29, 2021). "GOP Rep. Mark Finchem to run for Arizona Secretary of State as he faces recall effort over voter fraud claims". Newsweek. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  11. ^ "MarkFinchem@me.com on Gab:". Gab Social. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  12. ^ Duda, Jeremy (June 22, 2021). "Shawnna Bolick, author of bill to reject voters' presidential choice, running to be top elections official". AZ Mirror. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  13. ^ Oxford, Andrew (June 29, 2021). "Beau Lane to seek Republican nomination for Arizona secretary of state". www.azcentral.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  14. ^ Stone, Kevin (May 27, 2021). "State Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita running for Arizona Secretary of State". KTAR.
  15. ^ a b Cooper, Jonathan (September 14, 2021). "Trump gives endorsement in Arizona secretary of state race". Fox 10 Phoenix. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  16. ^ "Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey endorses Beau Lane". Arizona Republic. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Brewer and Symington Endorse Beau Lane for Secretary of State". Yellowsheet Report. February 23, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  18. ^ "Editorial: Primary election". Casa Grande Dispatch. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  19. ^ "Secretary of State and Attorney General: What to Watch for Next Week in Key Statewide Contests". Sabato's Crystal Ball. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  20. ^ Solomon, Zack (November 7, 2022). "Elections Daily Secretary of State Ratings". Elections Daily. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  21. ^ Stahl, Jeremy (November 8, 2022). "The Most Worrisome Election This Cycle". Slate. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac "Adrian's Endorsements".
  23. ^ Boehm, Jessica (October 6, 2022). "Liz Cheney says 2 Arizona GOP candidates are a threat to democracy". Axios. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  24. ^ Montellaro, Zach. "Kinzinger endorses Dems in major governor, secretary of state races". POLITICO. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i Macdonald-Evoy, Jerod (September 29, 2022). "GOP lawmaker backs Adrian Fontes over Mark Finchem to lead AZ elections". Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  26. ^ "Equality Arizona Endorsements". Equality Arizona.
  27. ^ "Arizona - COMPAC Endorsements". UMWA. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  28. ^ "2022 General Election Statewide Canvass" (PDF). Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  29. ^ "Judge dismisses Mark Finchem's lawsuit challenging election results". 12News. December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  30. ^ Julian, Melissa. "Order Granting Motions to Dismiss First Amended Verified Statement of Election Contest". Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  31. ^ a b c d Gans, Jared (December 16, 2022). "Arizona Republican loses election lawsuit in secretary of state race". The Hill. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  32. ^ a b c Mendez, David (December 16, 2022). "Arizona court strikes down GOP candidate's election challenge". NY1. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  33. ^ a b c "Judge tosses Finchem's election challenge for lack of evidence". tucson.com. Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services. December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  34. ^ Fischer, Howard (August 1, 2023). "Republican Mark Finchem drops appeal of 2022 loss in Arizona election". tucson.com. Retrieved August 3, 2023.

External links

Official campaign websites
(2021 โ†) ย  2022 United States elections ย  (โ†’ 2023)
Elections in Arizona
Categories