A GOP official known for his persistent defense of free and fair elections lost his primary election in Arizona on Tuesday, NBC News reported.
Incumbent Stephen Richer lost his re-election bid for Maricopa County recorder to State Rep. Justin Heap, a right-wing challenger who called Maricopa County elections a “laughing stock,” according to the Arizona Mirror.
Heap won 42.4% of the vote and Richer won 35.9%, the Associated Press reported.
As the county’s recorder, Richer was in charge of voter registration and mail-in voting. Since he came into office in 2021, Richer has pushed back on misinformation about Arizona’s voting process, despite facing threats of violence.
When asked how confident he was in the results of the 2020 and 2022 election at the GOP Maricopa County Recorder Debate last month, Richer said he was “very, very confident.”
“See all the post-election assessments. See the court cases. If you’re running for recorder and can’t give a plain answer to this question, then you either haven’t done your homework or you’re a coward. Either is disqualifying,” Richer said.
At the same debate, Heap said it was “abundantly clear” that “voters are disenfranchised and have lost trust in our elections.” He vowed to restore that trust. Heap was endorsed by U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake, a fervent election denier.
Many fear Richer’s ousting is a loss to fair elections.
“Maricopa County recorder Stephen Richer just lost his Republican primary — a major blow to how the Arizona county’s elections will likely be administered,” MSNBC executive producer Kyle Griffin wrote on X.
“Richer did his job and he did it consistent with the law. That he got primaried out like this is ridiculous,” wrote legal expert Bradley Mosses on Threads.
There is no guarantee the Maricopa County seat will remain Republican in the upcoming election. Before Richer was elected in 2020, the seat belonged to Democrat Adrian Fontes.
Heap will face Democrat Tim Stringham in November’s general election.