The contest that will decide how elections are conducted in Arizona has been settled with the news that Adrian Fontes has won the Democratic Nomination for Secretary of State.
The former Maricopa County Recorder defeated House Democratic Leader Reginald Bolding.
His 2022 General Election opponent will be Extremist, Traitorous, 2020 Big Lie subscriber, and January 6 collaborator Trump Republican Mark Finchem.
Please read Mr. Fontes’s acceptance remarks below.
“Thank you, Arizona voters. The AP just called this election for us, and I couldn’t be more grateful and excited to move forward with this race. I want to say that I appreciate Mr. Bolding’s service to our state, and I sincerely wish him and his family all the best.
“My name is Adrian Fontes. I proudly accept the Democratic nomination for Arizona Secretary of State.
“I want to thank my amazing team, my staunch supporters from Coconino to Santa Cruz, and my incredible, selfless family. I want to send a thank you to all the election workers and staff – thank you for what you do!
“And I want to thank the voters who turned out, voted by mail, voted in person, and made their voices heard! You are the reason our democracy works. You are the reason our Constitution is worth protecting. It’s time for Democrats, Independents, and reasonable Republicans to unite against fascism and support our nominees, to work together to secure victory in the fall. I extend a hand to everyone who supported my opponent in this race and to all voters who still believe in the goodness of their fellow citizens – Arizonans, Americans, this is our time to put country over party. We must protect democracy!
“I’m a marine, a former prosecutor, the former Maricopa County Recorder, a proud father of three incredible daughters and I am ready to fight.
“I’m ready because the America we grew up with – a nation of laws, reasonable political discourse, and stability – is under attack. This election will determine if we hold back the darkness and the wild-eyed uncertainty of the Trump cult or succumb to it.
“One of my favorite memories from growing up on the border of Nogales, Arizona, was seeing the decorations and our shared sense of patriotism and pride among people celebrating the bicentennial in 1976.
“I remember the Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid. I remember the shared sorrow of the terrible bombing of marine barracks in Beirut. The pride we all felt when the Berlin Wall came down. The way we held each other in the aftermath of September 11th.
“We have lost that unity.
“Our constitution was written by prophetic, albeit flawed, men who shared a vision for our country and a faith in our democracy. Generation after generation has expanded those rights and privileges as the American dream proceeded to advance its own promise from the few to the many. But the sacred commandments they enshrined in our constitution and that document’s endless promise has been discarded by some who now worship at the foot of the golden calf of Trumpism, demagoguery, and authoritarianism.
“Sadly, the America of today is not the America of our bicentennial celebration. The unity of Lake Placid has melted away. Fear and ignorance are rebuilding walls.
“We saw the coup attempt on January 6th, the recent evisceration of reproductive rights by an extreme, untrustworthy, vendetta-driven Supreme Court, and we have seen the rise of violent extremism in our country. We no longer see each other as fellow countrymen.
“But this isn’t who we have to be. The America of tomorrow can be a place where being an American is more important than your political party. We must embrace dignity for our fellow human beings and work to become Americans who respect our neighbors, regardless of how they worship, live, love, or vote.
“It is time we restore faith in the American system and work toward a renaissance of sound governance. Committing to that possibility will help us solve the problems that plague us today.
“Solving problems and helping people is in my blood. It’s why I ran and was elected to become the Maricopa County Recorder in 2016. It is why I am running for Secretary of State now. I can help to rebuild our faith in our democracy by helping to solve the problems hurting our state institutions.
“As Recorder, my team revolutionized a broken and unjust voting system. My bipartisan team and I made voting smarter, safer, and more accessible. I oversaw a successful and ultimately the most highly scrutinized election in American history. But that didn’t stop the lies.
“I know, from firsthand experience, that false accusations levied against election officials across this country for political gain have repeatedly resulted in threats of violence and actual force against good Americans of all stripes. I testified about these very threats before Congress. Most troubling, many of these propagators of deceit are seeking higher office.
“If the traitor Mark Finchem becomes Secretary of State, he will destroy the sanctity of this office. He will make it harder to register to vote. Harder to get voting information. Harder to vote by mail. Harder to vote in person. And he will not respect your vote unless it serves his ends.
“We cannot afford to surrender this office to an insurrectionist traitor in a cowboy hat, a Trump sycophant who cares more about his dear leader than our democracy. To Republicans of conscience, my fellow Democrats, to proud Independents who want our faith restored and our democracy defended, to leaders and people of all industries – business, medical, education, tech – who want certainty and predictability in our governance, I say this:
“I will be a Secretary of State who calls balls and strikes. I will be a Secretary of State with actual experience. I will be a Secretary of State who defends our elections from dangerous extremists masquerading as public servants. But I need your help to do it.
“These radical, anti-American extremists are coming for YOUR liberty, YOUR rights, YOUR democracy, YOUR opportunities.
Do not give them the ability to control YOUR elections and unsettle the nature of our society.
“It is time to burn and crush the golden calf. We must recommit to the covenant of our forefathers’ vision and rediscover our unity to have a better tomorrow.
“I will honor and defend the promise of fair and honest elections with the voters of Arizona, and I will help reignite the flame of unity in our Republic. I humbly ask for your support. My name is Adrian Fontes. With your help, I will be Arizona’s next Secretary of State. Thank you!”
