← 2018
Arizona Secretary of State
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 4, 2022
Primary: August 2, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Katie Hobbs (Democratic)
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Arizona
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas and triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Arizona executive elections
Governor Attorney General Secretary of State Treasurer Superintendent of Public Instruction Corporation Commission (2 seats) Mine Inspector

Adrian Fontes (D) defeated Mark Finchem (R) in the general election for Arizona secretary of state on November 8, 2022. Incumbent Katie Hobbs (D) ran for governor of Arizona.

As of 2022, duties of the Arizona secretary of state included serving as the state's chief election officer and keeping the state's official records. As Arizona was one of five states that did not have a lieutenant governor position, the secretary of state also served as acting governor when the governor was out of state and was first in the gubernatorial line of succession.^[1]

Fontes served as Maricopa County Recorder from 2017 to 2021. In his response to Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, Fontes highlighted his experience as county recorder, saying he had "revolutionized Arizona’s elections by registering half a million new voters, providing direct outreach to traditionally underserved communities, and making voting free, fair, and accessible to all."^[2] Fontes' campaign website also said he had "enhanced ballot tracking technology and increased process transparency[.]"^[3] His campaign website stated, "[Adrian Fontes] is committed to preserving integrity in our elections, increasing transparency in the Secretary of State’s office, making voting easier for registered voters, and ensuring that Arizona’s business community has a partner in the Secretary’s office."^[3]

Finchem was first elected to represent Arizona House of Representatives District 11 in 2014 and was re-elected three times. Finchem's campaign ads highlighted former President Donald Trump's (R) endorsement, as well as Finchem's response to the 2020 presidential election in Arizona.^[4][5] One ad said that "[w]hen Arizonans had concerns about their election, Mark Finchem had the courage to hold the Maricopa hearing that led to the Arizona audit" and said that Finchem had "filed legislation to set aside the irredeemably compromised elections in three counties with large margins of error."^[5] Finchem said he would "support law enforcement, clean the voter rolls for accuracy, prosecute fraud, secure [Arizona] elections, increase transparency, communicate with voters, and count all legal votes."^[6]

Fontes' campaign website said, "... Finchem will take away our right to vote, he will end vote by mail, he will overturn election results if he sees fit, and his radical agenda will threaten our economy. Mark Finchem is a member of the Oath Keepers, an extremist hate group who wants to overthrow the government. ... If elected, Finchem would, as the official who oversees the state office administering the 2024 presidential election, have the power to possibly affect the outcome of the race."^[7]

Finchem called Fontes "a lawless bad actor who has a history of criminal behavior who recklessly bungled both the 2018 and 2020 elections as the Maricopa County Recorder" and said he was "[George] Soros’ handpicked Marxist who will turn Arizona into California with open borders & rigged elections."^[8][9] Finchem said, "Fontes does not respect the law, is a criminal who has served time in jail and rewrote law illegally and was rebuked by many on all sides for it."^[10]

In 2018, Hobbs defeated Steve Gaynor (R) 50.4% to 49.6%. At the time of the 2022 election, Republicans held the two other top executive positions in Arizona—governor and attorney general—meaning that neither major party had a triplex in the state.

This was one of 27 elections for secretary of state taking place in 2022. Click here for an overview of these races. All but three states have a secretary of state. Although the specific duties and powers of the office vary from state to state, secretaries of state are often responsible for the maintenance of voter rolls and for administering elections. Other common responsibilities include registering businesses, maintaining state records, and certifying official documents. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 27 Republican secretaries of state and 20 Democratic secretaries of state.

A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party. Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and nine divided governments where neither party held triplex control.

Adrian Fontes (D) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• Arizona Secretary of State election, 2022 (August 2 Democratic primary)
• Arizona Secretary of State election, 2022 (August 2 Republican primary)

Candidates and election results[edit]

General election for Arizona Secretary of State

Adrian Fontes defeated Mark Finchem in the general election for Arizona Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Adrian Fontes (D)	52.8	1,129,144
		Mark Finchem (R)	47.2	1,011,019

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. Source	Total votes: 2,140,163
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Peter Yeaple (L)

Democratic primary for Arizona Secretary of State

Adrian Fontes defeated Reginald Bolding in the Democratic primary for Arizona Secretary of State on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Adrian Fontes	52.7	276,436
		Reginald Bolding	47.3	248,271

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 524,707
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Dennis Florian (D)

Republican primary for Arizona Secretary of State

Mark Finchem defeated Beau Lane, Shawnna Bolick, and Michelle Ugenti-Rita in the Republican primary for Arizona Secretary of State on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Finchem	41.0	243,403
		Beau Lane	24.5	145,598
		Shawnna Bolick	19.2	113,797
		Michelle Ugenti-Rita	15.3	91,003

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. Source	Total votes: 593,801
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Remo Paul (R)
• Wade Wilson (R)

Voting information[edit]

See also: Voting in Arizona

Candidate comparison[edit]

Candidate profiles[edit]

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Adrian Fontes

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• Maricopa County Recorder (2017-2021)
  

Submitted Biography:  "As a former Marine, father of three daughters, an attorney, and an elections administrator – Adrian has spent his whole career fighting for justice and democracy. Inspired by his grandfather’s service in WWII and as Mayor of Nogales, AZ, Adrian enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Serving his country taught him the importance of dedication, discipline, and sacrifice to fight for the American dream. After being Honorably Discharged, Adrian received his Bachelor’s degree from ASU before continuing to the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver. In 2016, Adrian became the first Democrat elected to the Recorder’s office in 50 years and the first-ever Latino to hold an office in Arizona’s largest county. Once elected, Adrian revolutionized Arizona’s elections by registering half a million new voters, providing direct outreach to traditionally underserved communities, and making voting free, fair, and accessible to all. From day one, he got to work professionalizing the operation and implementing a comprehensive plan in advance of Election Day: securing polling locations, recruiting and training poll workers, and educating voters on where, when, and how to vote."

---

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

---

Protect Democracy

---

Administer Fair and Competent Elections

---

Make Voting More Accessible for All Eligible Arizona Voters

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Arizona Secretary of State in 2022

Mark Finchem

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• Arizona House of Representatives District 11 (Assumed office: 2015)

Biography:  Finchem received an associate degree in criminal justice from Kalamazoo Valley Community College in 1986. He worked for the Kalamazoo, Michigan, department of public safety for 21 years as a fire fighter, paramedic, and public safety officer. After retiring in 1999 and moving to Arizona, Finchem worked as a senior sales manager at Intuit, a real estate broker, a personal development coach, and a vice president of Clean Power Technologies LLC. Finchem received a bachelor's degree in government administration from Grand Canyon University in 2019.

---

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

---

Finchem said he would "support law enforcement, clean the voter rolls for accuracy, prosecute fraud, secure [Arizona] elections, increase transparency, communicate with voters, and count all legal votes." 

---

A campaign ad said Finchem was an "America First fighter who will stop the election fraud." Referring to the 2020 presidential election in Arizona, the ad said Finchem "had the courage to hold the Maricopa hearing that led to the Arizona audit" and "filed legislation to set aside the irredeemably compromised elections in three counties with large margins of error." 

---

Finchem said, "When Kari Lake is governor, she will leave the state on trips to do great things. Someone will be left in charge. That will be me as the 2nd. You want a Secretary of State who will secure our borders and won't be a Marxist."

---

Show sources

Sources: Facebook, "Mark Finchem on September 19, 2022," accessed October 4, 2022; Facebook, "Mark Finchem on July 21, 2022," accessed October 4, 2022; Facebook, "Mark Finchem on September 20, 2022," accessed October 4, 2022; LinkedIn, "Mark Finchem," accessed October 3, 2022; Mark Finchem 2022 campaign website, "Meet Mark Finchem," accessed October 3, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Arizona Secretary of State in 2022

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses[edit]

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Adrian Fontes (D)

Protect Democracy

Administer Fair and Competent Elections

Make Voting More Accessible for All Eligible Arizona Voters

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Adrian Fontes (D)

Adrian has spent his whole career fighting for justice and democracy. As former Maricopa County Recorder, Adrian is most passionate about making voting easier and more accessible for all eligible Arizona voters. At a time when anti-democratic forces are undermining the right to vote, fueling conspiracy theories, and undermining the public’s faith in our electoral process, administering elections fairly and competently at the state and local level is more critical than ever. As a United States Marine Corps veteran, Adrian is also passionate about ensuring that these democratic principles are protected for veterans and service members who have sacrificed so much to fight for the American dream of democracy. As the father of three daughters, Adrian’s passion for women’s rights issues and protections plays a large role in his life as well.

Campaign advertisements[edit]

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Adrian Fontes[edit]

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Mark Finchem[edit]

View more ads here:

• Facebook

Election competitiveness[edit]

Polls[edit]

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.

Endorsements[edit]

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

• Adrian Fontes
• Mark Finchem

Election spending[edit]

Campaign finance[edit]

General election[edit]

Satellite spending[edit]

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.^[11][12][13]

If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.

Click the link below to search independent expenditures reported to the Arizona secretary of state's office:

• See the Money

Election analysis[edit]

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
• Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
• State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections[edit]

See also: Presidential voting trends in Arizona and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district[edit]

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Arizona, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Arizona's 1st	David Schweikert	Republican	R+2
Arizona's 2nd	Tom O'Halleran	Democratic	R+6
Arizona's 3rd	Ruben Gallego	Democratic	D+24
Arizona's 4th	Greg Stanton	Democratic	D+2
Arizona's 5th	Andy Biggs	Republican	R+11
Arizona's 6th	Open	Democratic	R+3
Arizona's 7th	Raul Grijalva	Democratic	D+15
Arizona's 8th	Debbie Lesko	Republican	R+10
Arizona's 9th	Paul Gosar	Republican	R+16

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines[edit]

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Arizona[14]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Arizona's 1st	50.1%	48.6%
Arizona's 2nd	45.3%	53.2%
Arizona's 3rd	74.5%	23.9%
Arizona's 4th	54.2%	43.9%
Arizona's 5th	41.0%	57.4%
Arizona's 6th	49.3%	49.2%
Arizona's 7th	65.6%	32.9%
Arizona's 8th	42.5%	56.1%
Arizona's 9th	36.4%	62.2%

2012-2020[edit]

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

Following the 2020 presidential election, 61.8% of Arizonans lived in Maricopa County, the state's one New Democratic county, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate for the first time in 2020 after voting for the Republican in the preceding two cycles, and 20.0% lived in one of 10 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Arizona was New Democratic, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Arizona following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends[edit]

Arizona presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 9 Democratic wins
• 19 Republican wins

Statewide elections[edit]

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections[edit]

See also: List of United States Senators from Arizona

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Arizona.

U.S. Senate election results in Arizona
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	51.2%	48.8%
2018	50.0%	47.6%
2016	53.7%	40.8%
2012	49.2%	46.1%
2010	59.2%	34.7%
Average	52.7	43.6

Gubernatorial elections[edit]

See also: Governor of Arizona

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Arizona.

Gubernatorial election results in Arizona
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	56.0%	41.8%
2014	53.4%	41.6%
2010	54.3%	42.4%
2006	62.6%	35.4%
2002	46.2%	45.2%
Average	54.5	41.3

State partisanship[edit]

Congressional delegation[edit]

The table below displays the partisan composition of Arizona's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

State executive[edit]

The table below displays the officeholders in Arizona's top three state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Arizona, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Doug Ducey
Secretary of State	Katie Hobbs
Attorney General	Mark Brnovich

State legislature[edit]

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Arizona State Legislature as of November 2022.

Arizona State Senate[edit]

Arizona House of Representatives[edit]

Trifecta control[edit]

As of November 2022, Arizona was a Republican trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Demographics[edit]

The table below details demographic data in Arizona and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Election context[edit]

2018[edit]

See also: Arizona secretary of state election, 2018

General election for Arizona Secretary of State

Katie Hobbs defeated Steve Gaynor in the general election for Arizona Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Katie Hobbs (D)	50.4	1,176,384
		Steve Gaynor (R)	49.6	1,156,132

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,332,516 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary for Arizona Secretary of State

Katie Hobbs advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona Secretary of State on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Katie Hobbs	100.0	465,668

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 465,668 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Leslie Pico (D)

Republican primary for Arizona Secretary of State

Steve Gaynor defeated incumbent Michele Reagan in the Republican primary for Arizona Secretary of State on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Gaynor	66.7	414,332
		Michele Reagan	33.3	206,988

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 621,320 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kevin Gibbons (R)

2014[edit]

See also: Arizona secretary of state election, 2014

Secretary of State of Arizona, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Michele Reagan	52.2%	779,226
	Democratic	Terry Goddard	47.8%	712,918
Total Votes				1,492,144
Election results via Arizona Secretary of State

2022 battleground elections[edit]

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:

• California's 22nd Congressional District election, 2022
• Maine's 2nd Congressional District election, 2022
• Nebraska gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022 (May 10 Republican primary)
• Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District election, 2022 (May 10 Democratic primary)
• United States Senate election in Nevada, 2022 (June 14 Republican primary)

See also[edit]

Arizona	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis
Arizona State Executive Offices Arizona State Legislature Arizona Courts	2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 Arizona elections: 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016	Party control of state government State government trifectas State of the state addresses Partisan composition of governors

External links[edit]

• Search Google News for this topic
• Arizona secretary of state official website

Footnotes[edit]

	v • e State of Arizona Phoenix (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2023 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy

v • e Secretaries of State Elected (by voters) Alabama • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Georgia • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oregon • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming Appointed (by gov.) Delaware • Florida • Maryland • New Jersey • New York • Oklahoma • Pennsylvania • Texas • Virginia Elected (state leg.) Maine • New Hampshire • Tennessee Elections 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 Other State executive offices • Chart of state executive officers • Term limits

v • e State executive offices Offices Governor • Lt. Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Schools • Insurance Commissioner • Controller • Agriculture Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commissioner States Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming Elections 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 Features Chart of state executive officers • Compensation • Gubernatorial power comparison • How gubernatorial vacancies are filled • Irregular office changes • State executive officials serving in home states • State government trifectas • State of the state addresses • Term limits