Mark Finchem, election conspiracy promoter, gets Trump’s endorsement for secretary of state

Former President Donald Trump endorsed state Rep. Mark Finchem for Arizona secretary of state on Monday, throwing his support behind a candidate who maintains last year’s election was stolen from Trump.

In a statement announcing the endorsement, his first for an Arizona candidate in the 2022 election cycle, Trump lauded Finchem’s “incredibly powerful stance on the Voter Fraud that took place in the 2020 Presidential Election Scam.”

Trump and his supporters have not provided any proof of fraud in the election since making these claims in the wake of his loss, and legal challenges across the country and in Arizona were dismissed due to a lack of any evidence.

If he were elected secretary of state, Finchem would have broad powers over the management of the state’s elections.

Finchem, a Republican lawmaker from Oro Valley, has promoted election fraud theories and was in Washington, D.C., for the Jan. 6  “Stop the Steal” rally that turned into an attack on the U.S. Capitol. On social media that day, Finchem described the ensuing riot as, “What happens when the People feel they have been ignored, and Congress refuses to acknowledge rampant fraud.”

Finchem has repeatedly said he not did enter the Capitol, where rioters were trying to stop Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election.

But Finchem has also refused to release all of his texts and other communications made during the insurrection at the Capitol. Records he has released show he was in direct communication with “Stop the Steal” organizers at the time.

Caught at the Capitol: Ariz. lawmakers face scrutiny for presence at Capitol riot

The four-term state lawmaker also has espoused conspiracy theories promoted by QAnon and has called for the decertification of Maricopa County’s election results, which resulted in a win for Democrat Joe Biden, and for the recalling of state electors. There is no evidence of fraud in the county’s election returns.

Finchem also has supported the ongoing state Senate audit of Maricopa County’s election and said updates on the audit were enough to convince him the election was fraudulent. 

The Guardian Defense Fund, established to help him defend against charges that he was involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, has since paid for security costs for the audit.

Trump wrote that “Mark was willing to say what few others had the courage to say,” apparently referring to false statements about the election results.

He also praised Finchem for his support for border protections, defense of the Second Amendment and said the candidate would push for further tax cuts and deregulation — all matters that are not part of the secretary of state’s job duties. However, the post is next in line to the governor’s seat and is widely viewed as a sort of lieutenant governor for Arizona.

Finchem is running a ballot integrity project to align ballot standards with the safeguards used on U.S. currency. And he recently announced he may launch a canvass of voters in Pima County to check on election results there.

He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The other announced GOP candidates are state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale; Rep. Shawnna Bolick, R-Glendale, and advertising executive Beau Lane.

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter @maryjpitzl.

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*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from The Arizona Republic can be found here ***