Trump-backed candidates, many who’ve spent the past six years sowing doubts about the integrity of Arizona’s elections, won key statewide and congressional races in the state on Tuesday.
Former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer — himself a Republican — told MSNOW that could doom the party’s chances in November, when candidates must appeal to Arizona’s bloc of independent voters, not just MAGA die-hards in a primary.
“This is a party base that is still in the raptures, the throes, of election denialism, and that they will follow Donald Trump to the ends of the earth,” Richer said. “Unfortunately for them that hasn’t translated to great success in a General Election.”
Richer said the primary outcome is eerily similar to 2022, when Republican primary voters nominated a series of election-deniers for key statewide offices who went on to lose to Democrats in November.
Republican winners like Congressman Andy Biggs in the governor’s race and lawmaker Alexander Kolodin in the secretary of state’s race have espoused views on election integrity that could backfire in the fall, Richer warned.
“I don’t think they chose the most viable candidates,” he said.
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Find everything you need to know about elections in Arizona and Maricopa County from KJZZ's politics team. -
A new poll commissioned by AARP shows Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs holding a sizable 8 point lead over Republican Congressman Andy Biggs in Arizona’s gubernatorial race. -
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes certified the state’s primary election results on Thursday. -
Republican Corporation Commission candidate Ralph Heap is facing a second complaint alleging he violated state campaign finance laws. -
The New York Times on Tuesday reported Hobbs, facing a Friday deadline, is planning to choose former Mesa Mayor John Giles to run for the new role of lieutenant governor.
