Fontes elected Arizona secretary of state

Democrat Adrian Fontes has won Arizona’s office of Secretary of State, according to The Associated Press. Late Friday, Fontes was winning with about 53 percent of the vote. His opponent, Mark Finchem, gathered 47 percent of the vote.

Who is Fontes? Adrian Fontes is an attorney and former Marine. He ran with a focus on ensuring integrity in Arizona’s elections, which he acknowledged faced strain in 2020. He heavily criticized Finchem for claiming that the 2020 election was wrongly decided, arguing it undermined faith in democracy. Mark Finchem is currently serving as a representative in the Arizona state House. Finchem has been a rancher in addition to a legislator and has a background in law enforcement. He ran believing that Trump rightfully won the 2020 election. He also promised election integrity and favored removing early voting and keeping online imaging records of cast ballots.

Dig deeper: Read our political reporting team’s election guide for Arizona.