Maricopa County recorder Adrian Fontes has conceded in his race for reelection. Republican Stephen Richer will take over the role.
Fontes, a Democrat, was elected to the position of Maricopa County recorder in 2016.
Arizona’s Republican party was dissatisfied with the way Fontes ran the 2018 midterm elections and launched an independent audit of his office. Richer, a Phoenix lawyer, was tapped by the party to lead the investigation.
Richer's report called Fontes a “partisan activist.” Richer challenged Fontes in this election, running on a platform of making the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office “boring again."
The race was close, with only about 4,000 votes separating the candidates as of Wednesday night.
