It was a hot political debate, for sure, but the heat was clearly on Arizona state Rep. Mark Finchem, the Trump-endorsed Republican nominee for secretary of state on Sept. 20.
The “Big Lie” of the stolen 2020 election and Jan. 6 were Arizona Horizon host Ted Simons’ big questions for Finchem during the half-hour long segment.
“Do you think Arizona voters want their chief election officer at a riot at the U.S. Capitol to overthrow an election?” Simons asked Finchem in a solemn tone. “Is that what you think Arizona resident voter citizens want?”
Simons was referring to Finchem’s attendance at the Jan. 6 protest at the U.S. Capitol in Washington last year.
In the Hot Seat
For the next 26 minutes, nearly every question would be directed at Finchem.It would be fair to say Finchem is not popular in the legacy media. A quick Google search revealed headlines alluding to his alleged conspiracy theories about a stolen 2020 election.
One reads, “Arizona GOP secretary of state nominee stands by election conspiracy.” Another points to his alleged “fealty to the Big Lie.”
It would also be fair to say the proverbial gloves will remain off as Finchem and his Democratic opponent, Adrian Fontes, duke it out in the run-up to the Nov. 8 general election in Arizona.
By his own remarks, Fontes is no fan of Finchem in the race for Arizona’s top election administrator, charactering Finchem’s views about the 2020 election as nothing less than “dangerous.”
Fontes said during the debate that the race is not only about preserving mail-in ballot voting in Arizona; it is about defending democracy from threats posed by “the far-right.”
Fontes, an attorney, cited Finchem’s attendance at the Jan. 6 protest as hard proof of his political extremism.
“What [Finchem] did was engage in a violent insurrection” resulting in the deaths of police officers, Fontes said, without mention to the protesters that died. “He is part of an organization that has called for the violent overthrow of this country,” he repeated from claims made by voices in the legacy media that the Trump team is fighting to challenge.
Finchem upheld his record as a criminal justice investigator and two-term Arizona state representative who is running for secretary of state with the slogan, “Just follow the law.”
Ballot Irregularities
Finchem said the ballots contained illegal voting advice and were sent out to thousands of voters until a Superior Court judge in Arizona blocked Fontes in 2020.When Arizona secretary of state Katie Hobbs, the 2022 Democratic nominee for governor, got wind of Fontes’ action, she penned a letter calling it illegal.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich filed suit after the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and Hobbs said Fontes ignored their orders not to mail out the ballots.
“The Maricopa County Recorder cannot unilaterally rewrite state election laws,” Brnovich said in a press release.
“Fontes is creating chaos in our elections during an already difficult time. In times of crisis, the public looks to our elected officials to follow the law—not make reactionary decisions for political gain.”
Fontes said in the debate that evidence of ballot fraud of a magnitude to overturn the 2020 election in Arizona “doesn’t exist” and that “it’s time to move away [and] not rehash old issues.”
“He [Finchem] wants to stop the capacity to vote by mail,” added Fontes, calling democracy “a decision.”
Country Before Party
At least one Republican Arizona lawmaker has come out in support of Fontes.In his endorsement, state Rep. Joel John compared Fontes to national heroes who “bravely stood up to do what was right even if it wasn’t popular in their respective camps.”
“We need more people like that today. I am proud to support Adrian Fontes and join noble Republicans and Independents who are willing to put country before party.
John described Fontes’ opponent, without naming him, as “someone who wants to get rid of voting by mail and has sought to overturn the 2020 election.”
Recent polls show Finchem leading Fontes by at least five percentage points.
In September, OH Predictive Insights showed Finchem ahead 40-35 percent, while the spread was thinner at 31-28 percent among independents.
