Jan. 6 Rallygoer Wins GOP Primary for Arizona’s Top Election Official

In Arizona Tuesday night, state Rep. Mark Finchem became the sixth Republican who denies the legitimacy of the 2020 election results to win a state secretary of state primary race, bringing him a step closer to overseeing Arizona’s elections—and posing “a danger to our democracy,” as one critic said.

Finchem was present at the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, although he says he did not enter the Capitol building where the House was certifying the election results.

He is a member of the far-right, anti-government extremist group Oath Keepers, which recruits law enforcement and former military members and has confronted antiracist protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, and Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as patrolling polling places.

Finchem’s official website features a petition that supporters can sign to push for the decertification of the 2020 election results in Arizona, and he sponsored legislation earlier this year to “set aside” the results in Yuma, Maricopa, and Pima Counties, claiming there is “clear and convincing evidence that the elections in those counties were irredeemably compromised” despite the fact that no such evidence has been found after recounts and investigations.

Endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Finchem has vowed to end early voting in Arizona, baselessly claiming it leads to fraud, and to pull Arizona out of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), the nonprofit group which helps states to maintain accurate voter rolls and increase voter registration access to eligible voters. Both Republican and Democratic election officials have said ERIC helps to prevent election fraud.

The success of election deniers in GOP primaries is “a five-alarm fire for our democracy and our freedom to vote,” said Sean Eldridge, founder and president of Stand Up America.

Originally published at Commondreams.org.