Arizona GOP Picks 2020 Election Challenger Alexander Kolodin for Secretary of State
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 11
Arizona GOP Picks 2020 Election Challenger Alexander Kolodin for Secretary of State
1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 11
Summary
Alexander Kolodin turned a string of failed 2020 election lawsuits into a winning bid for Arizona’s GOP nomination for secretary of state, the office that would oversee the battleground state’s 2028 elections.
Three of those cases — including his Sharpie ballot suit — were later cited by the State Bar of Arizona, which put him on 18 months’ probation and ordered five ethics courses.
Kolodin’s profile kept rising anyway: he won a state House seat in 2022, represented Cyber Ninjas and fake electors, and this summer easily beat former state party chair Gina Swoboda in the primary.
His record still alarms Republicans who say election denialism has repeatedly cost the party statewide races in Arizona, where nominees such as Kari Lake and Blake Masters lost general elections.
The race also fits a broader pattern in battleground states, with GOP secretary-of-state nominees in Nevada and Michigan likewise tied to false 2020 fraud claims.
How might proposed changes to mail-in voting rules completely reshape the future of election accessibility in competitive states?
Arizona’s 2026 Secretary of State Race: Fontes Leads Kolodin by 6 Points as Mail-In Voting and Election Integrity Take Center Stage
Overview
The 2026 Arizona Secretary of State race is a fierce contest between Democrat Adrian Fontes and Republican Alexander Kolodin. Fontes leads in recent polls and has attacked Kolodin for his role in failed 2020 election lawsuits, which led to Kolodin being sanctioned by the state bar. Kolodin, after winning the GOP primary with support from Donald Trump and Turning Point USA, has tried to moderate his image by removing far-right endorsements from his campaign. Meanwhile, Kolodin authored Proposition 144, a controversial ballot measure on voter ID, highlighting the race’s high stakes for election rules and public trust ahead of the 2028 presidential election.