Rep. Mark Finchem/YouTube
By Jeremy Duda /Arizona Mirror
State Rep. Mark Finchem, one of the legislature’s leading proponents of the baseless allegations and conspiracy theories claiming former President Donald Trump was cheated out of the 2020 election, is running to be Arizona’s top elections official. He filed a statement of interest on Monday to run for secretary of state in 2022.
The Oro Valley Republican has repeatedly made headlines over the past few months for his role in the “Stop the Steal” movement that sought to overturn President Joe Biden’s win in last year’s election and install the defeated Trump for another term as president.
Finchem was at the Washington, D.C., rally on Jan. 6 whose attendees later participated in the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. There is no evidence that he took part in the melee and he has repeatedly said he did not enter the building and remained outside the Capitol, though text messages show he was in communication with rally organizer Ali Alexander. He did praise the rioters on social media, tweeting that that is “What happens when the People feel they have been ignored, and Congress refuses to acknowledge rampant fraud.”
