Adrian Fontes beats Reginald Bolding in Democratic race, setting up secretary of state showdown with Mark Finchem

Adrian Fontes clinched the Democratic nomination for Arizona secretary of state Thursday, setting up a showdown with Republican nominee Mark Finchem that will feature two starkly different views of the 2020 election.

Fontes bested rival Reginald Bolding, the House minority leader, by more than 5 percentage points, according to the latest returns.

Fontes said he was "humbled" by the nomination and quickly described how he views the coming campaign.

“This is the defining race for our Republic," said Fontes, the former Maricopa County recorder, who oversaw elections in 2018 and, most notably, 2020. "It will let the world know whether we will surrender to foolish conspiracies or whether we will support our Republic that Benjamin Franklin so eloquently said needs to be kept.”

Fontes carried nine of the 15 counties, including Maricopa, where he served as county recorder from 2017-2021. The Democratic race revolved around the need to defend Arizona's election process and protect democracy. But late in the campaign, questions arose about Bolding's ties to a nonprofit he runs and whether he had properly distanced himself from its political support for his campaign.

Fontes touted himself as the only candidate who could take on "a Trump sycophant and Jan. 6 insurrectionist," a clear reference to Finchem.

Polarizing views of 2020

The Fontes-Finchem matchup mirrors the dynamics in the race for governor, pitting election deniers Finchem and Kari Lake against the very people — Fontes and current Secretary of State Katie Hobbs — who ran the 2020 election.

Fontes oversaw the Maricopa County election that sealed Joe Biden's win in Arizona. Numerous audits confirmed the results, including the ballot review ordered by state Senate Republicans. That review actually found more votes for Biden than official returns. Finchem has taken credit for creating the momentum that prompted Senate President Karen Fann to create the ballot review.

Fontes called the Lake-Hobbs matchup a "symbolic" contrast on election procedures. The secretary of state race, he said, involves the people who actually can have a profound impact on how elections are conducted.

The secretary's duties include overseeing the operations of the 15 county recorder and elections offices, the writing of the Election Procedures Manual — which serves as a bible of sorts for how to run elections — and, most significantly, certifying the results of the presidential election.

The contrast, Fontes said, couldn't be clearer.

“Mark Finchem needs to explain why he hates America," Fontes said.

“I ran 2020 proudly with my bipartisan team and Mark Finchem marched to the steps of the Capitol," he said. Finchem was at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but maintains he never went inside. He was sympathetic to the insurrection that resulted, saying the people's voice was ignored in the 2020 results.

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Finchem, a state lawmaker, has maintained the election was fraudulent, and rode this platform of election denial and reform to a resounding 17.5 percentage point margin of victory in the GOP primary on Tuesday night, besting three opponents. He has called his win a mandate.

Finchem wants to eliminate early voting, a position the Arizona Republican Party is pushing in a case before the state Supreme Court, and along with Lake is asking a federal judge to bar the use of electronic machines in the Nov. 8 election.

Finchem came out swinging the day after his win.

"Fontes is so crooked he can't remember if he is stealing the election or if he is destroying our election system," Finchem wrote on Facebook, without explaining the basis for his claim.

Despite the immediate differences between the two candidates, both have said the election is about the future, not 2020.

Finchem has said he will restructure the Secretary of State's Office if elected and has said he would get more election return data out to the public than is currently provided.

Fontes said the race is about "2024 and beyond. It’s about unpredictable, wild-eyed conspiracies vs. faithful adherence to the law.”

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

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Fontes wins Democratic nomination for Arizona secretary of state