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By Robert Anglen | Arizona Republic
The Jan. 6 insurrection could be a boon for Arizona elected officials who rallied to “Stop the Steal” and sought to decertify the state’s election results.
The four Republicans who also circulated baseless conspiracy theories about a 2020 Donald Trump presidential victory in Arizona and pushed for the Senate’s partisan audit of Maricopa County’s election results are continuing on the same path more than a year later.
They are riding similar rhetoric to tout election integrity measures, saying voting systems need to be strengthened. It’s a message that GOP political consultants say resonates with voters.
“For the overwhelming majority of voters, Jan. 6 wasn’t a thing,” Republican political consultant Constantin Querard said. “Election integrity is a good issue … Being able to say you are fighting for election integrity is a plus.”
U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar, state Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, and former Representative Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, were at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, encouraging the overturn of election results.
As rioters fought past police and breached the interior of the Capitol, Biggs and Gosar were in the House calling to set aside electors chosen by voters in Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Finchem and Kern were outside, mingling with crowds amassed on the Capitol steps, photos, texts and social media accounts show.
