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Editor’s note: Adrian Fontes won his race by a margin of 5%; through our readers, Blue Tent raised $37,594 for Fontes. To see how other Blue Tent recommended candidates performed this cycle, read our full 2022 midterms rundown.
When Republicans were advancing wild conspiracy theories to discredit the results of the 2020 presidential election, Adrian Fontes was at the forefront of beating those allegations back. As Maricopa County Recorder, Fontes oversaw the administration of the highly contested 2020 election in Arizona’s largest county, which also numbers in the top four most populous counties in the country. Fontes lost his reelection bid that same year, but has now clinched the Democratic nomination for an even more important office when it comes to elections: secretary of state. Supporting Fontes's campaign should be a high priority for donors in 2022, as a Republican takeover of the Arizona secretary of state’s office could be disastrous for American democracy.
Is this election important?
Yes. Arizona is a key state for Democrats seeking to build power moving into the future, but more importantly, the state was and likely will continue to be a major battleground for free and fair elections. Arizona was ground zero for the Trump campaign’s election conspiracies in 2020, with Republican officeholders and candidates across the state continuing to deny reality about Trump’s loss. His opponent, GOP State Representative Mark Finchem, is a rabid election denier. Finchem could wreak havoc on Arizona’s electoral system in 2024 and beyond. U.S. News notes that Finchem is a supporter of the Arizona state senate’s “discredited review” of the 2020 election, in addition to being party to a lawsuit seeking to ban electronic vote counting machines in this November’s elections. As secretary of state, Finchem would also seek to ban early voting, a priority of the state Republican party.
Can Fontes win?
Yes. Arizona has been steadily trending blue for several years, and despite Republican control of many key offices in the state, the current secretary of state, Katie Hobbs — who is now running for governor —is a Democrat. Statewide elections favored Democrats in 2020, with Mark Kelly winning a special election for the U.S. Senate and Joe Biden claiming the Grand Canyon State in the presidential election. (Kelly is up for re-election this year.) Fontes has made defending democracy from attacks by his opponent, Finchem, a key crux of his campaign, vociferously attacking the Republican lawmaker as “a Trump sycophant and Jan. 6 insurrectionist” who “needs to explain why he hates America.”
This year’s midterms were previously slated to be a wipeout for Democrats, but with the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, along with the passage of major legislation to fight inflation and address climate change, Republicans are facing a far more challenging landscape. Arizona will be a battleground for both fights over democracy and the struggle for abortion access, as we explain in our recommendation for Arizona attorney general candidate Kris Mayes. Arizona is home to highly effective grassroots groups like LUCHA, who powered Kelly and Biden to victory in 2020, and helped elect Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in 2018.
Does he need the money?
Yes. Republican donors have poured millions into statewide campaigns in Arizona, with $3.9 million alone going to GOP secretary of state candidates. Of that $3.9 million, Finchem received some $1.8 million. Fontes has raised $2.4 million, which puts him ahead of Finchem, but he'll need all the money he can get to defeat a highly conspiratorial and radical opponent.
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Like many other candidates we recommend this cycle, the most compelling reasons to support Fontes are less about him than about the potential disaster that could come from a victory by his opponent. That said, Fontes is an experienced election administrator who is eminently qualified for the job of secretary of state. For donors concerned about protecting democracy, defending Democratic territory, and building a strong bench of future progressive leaders, Fontes’s campaign should be seen as a high priority.