Mark Finchem is a well-known 2020 election denier and Arizona congressman who won the Republican primary for secretary of state, NBC News Project.
Finchem, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump, won 40% of the vote, with 99% of the expected vote. State Rep. Shawnna Bolick was another 2020 voter with 19 percent of the vote, while businessman Beau Lane got 25 percent.
With his victory, Finchem went on to falsely claim that President Joe Biden didn’t win the state’s 2020 election, one step closer to becoming Arizona’s top election official, a key swing state where Trump Efforts by allies to overturn the last presidential election have been going on for years since the campaign.
If elected, Finchem would, as the official who oversees the state office administering the 2024 presidential election, have the power to possibly affect the outcome of the race. Experts say the situation could help to overturn the presidential election more forcefully. Trump is weighing another bid in 2024.
Finchem opens up undecided Democratic race winner between former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes and state Rep. Reginald Bolding in general election general election.
Finchem, a member of the Arizona legislature, is one of the most outspoken state lawmakers insisting that Trump won the 2020 election. Trump backed Finchem last year and said in a statement that “Mark is willing to say what few people have the courage to say” about the 2020 campaign.
At a rally in Florence, Arizona, in January, Finchem sided with the former president and said: “Ladies and gentlemen, we know, they know — Donald Trump won.” Pu held another rally in July with Finchem and other Arizona Republican candidates, where Finchem and others repeated similar false claims.
Neither Finchem nor his campaign responded to multiple emails and calls from NBC News seeking a response to his claims about the 2020 election.
As a state legislator, Finchem has introduced several election-related bills, including one that would make all ballots a public record, searchable in an online database.
Finchem also introduced several Resolution seeking to revoke 2020 election results in Arizona’s three main counties, and a bill that gives the legislature the power to veto election results. He supported a partisan review of the Maricopa County election results, even though the review reiterated a Biden victory.
Finchem appears in QAnon Radio Talk Show and Attended the “Stop the Stealing” rally in Washington on January 6, 2021, which led to a storm in the Capitol.He also spoke at the “Stop the Stealing” campaign A day ago, told the crowd about Trump won the 2020 election. In an interview with local news outlet InMaricopa.com in 2014Finchem claims to be a member of the Oathkeepers, a far-right militia whose founders have been charged with incitement conspiracy and other charges related to the Jan. 6 uprising.
NBC News reports that the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 unrest has subpoenaed Finchem seeking more information about his claims that the election was “rigged” and his communications with organizers of the Jan. 6 “Stop the Stealing” rally. information.
Finchem is a pro-Trump member first secretary of state alliance, which includes several other swing state candidates for secretary of state who have declined the election, including Jim Marchant (Nevada’s Republican candidate), Christina Karamo (Michigan’s Republican candidate), and Jody Hayes (He lost to Brad Finsberg in Georgia in May). All four states are among Biden’s narrowest victories in 2020.
Biden defeated Trump by about 10,500 votes in Arizona, where numerous lawsuits or audits of the election results have not uncovered any widespread fraud.
With his primary victory, Finchem became the sixth Republican candidate for secretary of state to deny the 2020 election result to advance to the general election. according to National United Action, a nonpartisan organization, track Race of Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Governor.
The other five are Calamo of Michigan (who was approved as the party’s nominee by the state GOP in April), Marchand of Nevada, Diego Morales of Indiana and Weiss of Alabama. Allen and Audrey Trujillo of New Mexico. As of July 28, Finchem was among at least 20 election deniers running for secretary of state in 16 U.S. states, including Mike Brown of Kansas and Tamborine Borrell of Washington, according to the group. Neither of them won the primary Tuesday night.
If Finchem wins in November, as Arizona’s secretary of state, he will have the power over the next two years to change how the election works — which some experts say could help would-be candidate Trump — and also change the way the election is run. scale. A close game, as Trump asked Ravensberg to do in 2020.
Meanwhile, another Trump-backed election denier, former prosecutor Abraham Hamad, is running against five other Republicans in Arizona’s GOP primary for attorney general, including another who denies the election. people. The winner will face Democrat Chris Meyers in November. Attorney General Mark Brnovich is running for the Senate in the primary against Blake Masters.
In addition, Republican Cary Lake battled hard for the state’s Republican primary gubernatorial nominee on Tuesday. Arizona has the potential to have election deniers in its three top state roles — three positions that oversee, administer, defend and certify elections and election results.
Arizona Democratic incumbent Katie Hobbs will be the Democratic gubernatorial candidate after winning the primary on Tuesday.
