2022 Arizona Secretary of State election

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2022 Arizona Secretary of State election
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←  2018 November 8, 2022 2026  →
  Adrian Fontes by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg Mark Finchem by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Nominee Adrian Fontes Mark Finchem
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote1,320,6191,200,411
Percentage52.38%47.62%
Arizona Secretary of State Election, 2022.svg
2022 Arizona SoS Election by Congressional District.svg
AZ SOS 2022.svg
Fontes:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%
Finchem:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%
Tie:     50%     No votes
Secretary of State before election

Katie Hobbs
Democratic

Elected Secretary of State

Adrian Fontes
Democratic

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%.

Contents

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. Reginald Bolding by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
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.DateHostModeratorLink Democratic Democratic
Key:
 P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited  W  Withdrawn
Reginald Bolding Adrian Fontes
1Apr. 25, 2022 KAET Ted Simons YouTube PP

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size [a] 		Margin
of error		Reginald
Bolding		Adrian
Fontes		Undecided
Lake Research Partners (D) [9] [A] July 24–26, 2022600 (LV)± 4.0%35%30%28%
OH Predictive Insights (D) [10] [B] July 2022537 (RV)± 4.4%29%44%27%
Lake Research Partners (D) [9] [A] July 2022– (LV)–29%35%36%
Public Policy Polling (D) [11] [C] July 8–9, 2022740 (LV)± 3.6%18%32%51%
Lake Research Partners (D) [9] [A] May 2022– (LV)–14%35%51%
OH Predictive Insights [12] September 7–12, 2021283 (RV)± 5.8%22%17%61%

Results

Democratic primary results by county Fontes 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% Bolding 50-60% 2022 Arizona Secretary of State Democratic primary election results map by county.svg
Democratic primary results by county
  Fontes
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  Bolding
  •   50–60%
Democratic primary results [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Adrian Fontes 302,681 52.50%
Democratic Reginald Bolding 273,81547.50%
Total votes576,496 100.0%

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.DateHostModeratorLink 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
1Jun. 25, 2022 KAET Ted Simons YouTube PAPP

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size [a] 		Margin
of error		Shawnna
Bolick		Mark
Finchem		Beau
Lane		Michelle
Ugenti-Rita		OtherUndecided
Rasmussen Reports [23] July 27–28, 2022710 (LV)± 4.0%11%27%16%12%10%25%
OH Predictive Insights [24] July 27, 2022502 (LV)± 4.4%8%32%11%9%–41%
OH Predictive Insights [25] June 30 – July 2, 2022515 (LV)± 4.3%3%14%5%6%–72%
OH Predictive Insights [26] April 4–5, 2022500 (LV)± 4.4%3%13%2%9%–74%
OH Predictive Insights [12] September 7–12, 2021311 (RV)± 5.6%8%11%–7%–74%
Hypothetical polling
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size [a] 		Margin
of error		Mark
Finchem		Kelly
Townsend		Michelle
Ugenti-Rita		OtherUndecided
HighGround Public Affairs (R) [27] May 3–5, 2021400 (LV)± 4.9%5%12%4%8% [b] 75%

Results

Republican primary results by county Finchem 30-40% 40-50% 50-60% 2022 Arizona Secretary of State Republican primary election results map by county.svg
Republican primary results by county
  Finchem
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
Republican primary results [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Mark Finchem 329,884 42.56%
Republican Beau Lane181,05823.36%
Republican Shawnna Bolick 149,77919.32%
Republican Michelle Ugenti-Rita 114,39114.76%
Total votes775,101 100.0%

General election

Debate

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

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
Sabato's Crystal Ball [28] TossupNovember 3, 2022
Elections Daily [29] Lean DNovember 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

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size [a] 		Margin
of error		Adrian
Fontes (D)		Mark
Finchem (R)		OtherUndecided
Data Orbital (R) [37] November 4–6, 2022550 (LV)± 4.3%47%48%1% [c] 4%
KAConsulting (R) [38] [D] November 2–3, 2022501 (LV)± 4.4%43%45%–9%
HighGround Inc. [39] November 1–2, 2022500 (LV)± 4.4%45%42%2% [d] 11%
Big Data Poll (R) [40] October 31 – November 2, 20221,501 (LV)± 3.0%47%47%–6%
OH Predictive Insights [41] October 24–26, 2022600 (LV)± 4.0%48%42%–11%
Siena College/NYT [42] October 24–26, 2022604 (LV)± 4.4%47%40%–13%
BSP Research/Shaw & Co. [43] [E] October 19–26, 20221,000 (RV)± 3.1%38%37%5% [e] 20%
Susquehanna Polling & Research (R) [44] [F] October 14–18, 2022600 (LV)± 4.0%47%42%1% [f] 10%
HighGround Inc. [45] October 12–13, 2022500 (LV)± 4.4%41%42%1% [g] 15%
CNN/SSRS [46] September 26 – October 2, 2022900 (RV)± 4.4%45%44%10% [h] –
795 (LV)± 4.6%45%49%6% [i] 1%
SurveyUSA (D) [47] [G] September 27–30, 2022563 (LV)± 5.2%44%41%–15%
Global Strategy Group (D) [48] [H] September 13–20, 2022800 (LV)± 3.5%46%44%–10%
The Trafalgar Group (R) [49] September 14–17, 20221080 (LV)± 2.9%41%48%–11%
OH Predictive Insights [50] September 6–9, 2022654 (LV)± 3.83%35%40%–25%
Hypothetical polling

Katie Hobbs vs. Michelle Ugenti-Rita

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size [a] 		Margin
of error		Katie
Hobbs (D)		Michelle
Ugenti-Rita (R)		Undecided
OH Predictive Insights [51] March 8–12, 2021690 (RV)± 3.7%36%30%35%

Generic Democrat vs. generic Republican

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size [a] 		Margin
of error		Generic
Democrat		Generic
Republican		Undecided
OH Predictive Insights [12] September 7–12, 2021882 (RV)± 3.3%34%37%28%

Results

State legislative districts results Az sos by ld.svg
State legislative districts results
2022 Arizona Secretary of State election [52]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Adrian Fontes 1,320,619 52.38% +1.95%
Republican Mark Finchem 1,200,41147.62%−1.94%
Total votes2,521,030 100.0%
Democratic hold

By county

County Adrian Fontes
Democratic 		Mark Finchem
Republican 		Write-in MarginTotal
votes
#%#%#%#%
Apache 17,47666.578,77633.4350.028,70033.1426,614
Cochise 19,40241.9726,82758.03480.10-7,425-16.0646,666
Coconino 34,48264.1519,27035.85400.0714,21228.3054,727
Gila 8,17636.7014,10363.30130.06-5,927-26.622,450
Graham 3,24630.277,47869.7300.00-4,232-39.4610,847
Greenlee 97840.631,42959.3700.00-451-18.742,446
La Paz 1,73631.893,70868.1160.11-1,972-36.225,499
Maricopa 813,49253.67702,37646.334690.03111,1167.341,543,535
Mohave 20,90126.0559,32073.95160.02-38,419-47.9081,510
Navajo 18,70146.7721,28053.23130.03-2,579-6.4640,411
Pima 244,34961.86150,68038.141210.0393,66923.72398,553
Pinal 62,61844.0079,69656.00340.02-17,078-12.00143,826
Santa Cruz 9,18170.143,90929.8640.035,27240.2813,099
Yavapai 45,87637.5976,16262.41430.03-30,286-24.82123,191
Yuma 20,00544.0625,39755.9480.02-5,392-11.8846,111
Totals1,320,61952.381,200,41147.628200.0317,1170.672,559,485

By congressional district

Fontes won five out of nine congressional districts, including two that elected Republicans. [53]

DistrictFontesFinchemRepresentative
1st 54%46% David Schweikert
2nd 47%53% Tom O'Halleran (117th Congress)
Eli Crane (118th Congress)
3rd 78%22% Ruben Gallego
4th 59%41% Greg Stanton
5th 45%55% Andy Biggs
6th 54%46% Ann Kirkpatrick (117th Congress)
Juan Ciscomani (118th Congress)
7th 68%32% Raúl Grijalva
8th 47%53% Debbie Lesko
9th 38%62% Paul Gosar

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. [54] [55] [56] 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. [56] [57] The judge also rejected the merits of Finchem's arguments on voting software certification. [57] 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. [56] [58]

Then, the judge rejected Finchem's allegations of "misconduct" by Secretary of State Katie Hobbs as insufficient. [56] 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. [57] 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. [58] 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". [58]

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. [59]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 "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. 1 2 3 Lake Research Partners (D)
  10. ↑ OH Predictive Insights (D)
  11. ↑ Public Policy Polling (D)
  12. 1 2 3 OH Predictive Insights
  13. 1 2 Arizona Secretary of State (August 22, 2022). "State of Arizona Official Canvass – August 2, 2022, Primary Election" (PDF). Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ "MarkFinchem@me.com on Gab:". Gab Social. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ Oxford, Andrew (June 29, 2021). "Beau Lane to seek Republican nomination for Arizona secretary of state". www.azcentral.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  18. ↑ Stone, Kevin (May 27, 2021). "State Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita running for Arizona Secretary of State". KTAR.
  19. 1 2 Cooper, Jonathan (September 14, 2021). "Trump gives endorsement in Arizona secretary of state race". Fox 10 Phoenix. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  20. 1 2 "Brewer and Symington Endorse Beau Lane for Secretary of State". Yellowsheet Report. February 23, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey endorses Beau Lane". Arizona Republic. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Editorial: Primary election". Casa Grande Dispatch. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  23. ↑ Rasmussen Reports
  24. ↑ OH Predictive Insights [usurped]
  25. ↑ OH Predictive Insights [usurped]
  26. ↑ OH Predictive Insights [usurped]
  27. ↑ HighGround Public Affairs (R)
  28. ↑ "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.
  29. ↑ Solomon, Zack (November 7, 2022). "Elections Daily Secretary of State Ratings". Elections Daily. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 "Adrian's Endorsements".
  31. ↑ Stahl, Jeremy (November 8, 2022). "The Most Worrisome Election This Cycle". Slate. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  32. ↑ Boehm, Jessica (October 6, 2022). "Liz Cheney says 2 Arizona GOP candidates are a threat to democracy". Axios. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  33. ↑ Montellaro, Zach. "Kinzinger endorses Dems in major governor, secretary of state races". POLITICO. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Macdonald-Evoy, Jerod (September 29, 2022). "GOP lawmaker backs Adrian Fontes over Mark Finchem to lead AZ elections" . Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  35. ↑ "Equality Arizona Endorsements". Equality Arizona.
  36. ↑ "Arizona - COMPAC Endorsements". UMWA. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  37. ↑ Data Orbital (R)
  38. ↑ KAConsulting (R)
  39. ↑ HighGround Inc.
  40. ↑ Big Data Poll (R)
  41. ↑ OH Predictive Insights [usurped]
  42. ↑ Siena College/NYT
  43. ↑ BSP Research/Shaw & Co.
  44. ↑ Susquehanna Polling & Research (R)
  45. ↑ HighGround Inc.
  46. ↑ CNN/SSRS
  47. ↑ SurveyUSA (D)
  48. ↑ Global Strategy Group (D)
  49. ↑ The Trafalgar Group (R)
  50. ↑ OH Predictive Insights [usurped]
  51. ↑ OH Predictive Insights
  52. ↑ "2022 General Election Statewide Canvass" (PDF). Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  53. ↑ "DRA 2020". Daves Redistricting. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  54. ↑ "Judge dismisses Mark Finchem's lawsuit challenging election results". 12News . December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  55. ↑ Julian, Melissa. "Order Granting Motions to Dismiss First Amended Verified Statement of Election Contest". Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  56. 1 2 3 4 Gans, Jared (December 16, 2022). "Arizona Republican loses election lawsuit in secretary of state race". The Hill . Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  57. 1 2 3 Mendez, David (December 16, 2022). "Arizona court strikes down GOP candidate's election challenge". NY1 . Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  58. 1 2 3 "Judge tosses Finchem's election challenge for lack of evidence". tucson.com . Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services. December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  59. ↑ Fischer, Howard (August 1, 2023). "Republican Mark Finchem drops appeal of 2022 loss in Arizona election". tucson.com . Retrieved August 3, 2023.

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