{"id":2316110,"date":"2024-07-30T15:11:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T19:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-az-republicans-boot-leftist-linked-maricopa-elections-chief\/"},"modified":"2024-07-30T15:17:32","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T19:17:32","slug":"will-az-republicans-boot-leftist-linked-maricopa-elections-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-az-republicans-boot-leftist-linked-maricopa-elections-chief\/","title":{"rendered":"Will AZ Republicans Boot Leftist-Linked Maricopa Elections Chief?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwill-az-republicans-boot-leftist-linked-maricopa-elections-chief%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2316110&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Election integrity advocates initially supported Recorder Stephen\u2063 Richer in the aftermath of Maricopa County&#8217;s controversial 2020 election administration.\u200b However, since\u2062 taking office, Richer has aligned himself with leftist \u2062ideals and\u200c is reportedly receiving financial support from Democrat donor \u200bReid\u2063 Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn.\u2063 This backing has surfaced through mailers funded by a left-leaning organization called Women for Justice, where Hoffman is \u2062listed as a top donor.<\/p>\n<p>Richer, currently \u2063facing \u2063a primary \u2064challenge,\u200d has been criticized for his shift from advocating election\u2064 integrity to\u200b defending \u2062the troubled electoral practices \u200dhe once opposed. Critics \u2063argue that he has not been truthful about past election issues\u200b and has dismissed voter \u2062concerns, \u200bdescribing \u200cthem \u2062as &#8220;conspiracy \u200btheories.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>As\u200d he prepares for the primary against IT consultant Don Hiatt and Arizona Freedom Caucus member Justin \u2062Heap,\u2064 analysts \u200csuggest the divided opposition could\u2062 bolster Richer\u2019s candidacy.\u2063 The upcoming Republican primary will determine who will face Democrat Timothy Stringham in the November \u200bgeneral election. Observers indicate voter \u2063frustration with Richer&#8217;s management\u2063 is a significant factor in \u2063the primary,\u2064 with predictions favoring Heap as the likely\u200d winner.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Election integrity advocates helped elect Recorder Stephen Richer following Maricopa County&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/09\/27\/arizona-2020-vote-audit-finds-potentially-election-shifting-numbers-of-illegal-ballots\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disastrous<\/a> administration of the 2020 election. But since taking office, Richer &mdash; who faces a primary challenge today &mdash; has become such a leftist darling that he&rsquo;s reportedly getting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maryland-school-district-announces-policy-to-push-anti-racist-thinking-in-preschool-redefine-discrimination-and-racism\/\" title=\"Maryland School District Announces Policy to Push \u2018Anti-Racist Thinking\u2019 In Preschool, Redefine \u2018Discrimination\u2019 and \u2018Racism\u2019\">financial backing<\/a> from Democrat megadonor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/reid-hoffman-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Reid Hoffman<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As first reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/azfreenews.com\/2024\/07\/leftist-billionaire-bankrolling-maricopa-county-recorders-reelection-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AZ Free News<\/a>, Hoffman &mdash; the founder of LinkedIn and a major financial supporter of Democrat-aligned causes &mdash; is among the backers disclosed on pro-Richer mailers that have been distributed by the left-wing group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/women-for-justice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Women for Justice<\/a>. A photo of the mailer obtained by The Federalist lists Hoffman as one of the top three donors backing Women for Justice&rsquo;s efforts. The disclosure also notes 47 percent of the funds used by the group for the mailers came from &ldquo;out-of-state contributors.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/reid-hoffman-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">InfluenceWatch<\/a>, Hoffman &ldquo;was relatively apolitical prior [to] 2016, when he became an outspoken critic of then-Republican candidate Donald Trump during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schiff-nadler-call-flynn-pardon-abuse-of-power\/\" title=\"Schiff, Nadler Call Flynn Pardon &#039;Abuse of Power&#039;\">2016 presidential election<\/a>.&rdquo; The following year, he &ldquo;launched a number of left-of-center organizations, investments, and fundraising efforts to oppose President Trump and the Republican Party.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As my colleague Logan Washburn previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/15\/report-days-before-assassination-attempt-leftist-billionaire-wished-hed-made-trump-an-actual-martyr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a>, Hoffman reportedly said days before the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump that he wished he &ldquo;had made [Trump] an actual martyr.&rdquo; The LinkedIn founder later condemned the attempt on Trump&rsquo;s life and attempted to clarify his comments in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/reidhoffman\/status\/1812528484851531780?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1812528484851531780%7Ctwgr%5Eae30d43c0b1eee1fe08f3a7c536725800cc21b14%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefederalist.com%2F%3Fp%3D322817\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">post<\/a> published July 14.<\/p>\n<p>Neither Hoffman nor Women for Justice responded to The Federalist&rsquo;s request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Richer is facing a primary challenge from two candidates: IT business consultant Don Hiatt and Rep. Justin Heap, a member of the Arizona Freedom Caucus. When an unpopular incumbent faces a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/half-of-states-now-have-constitutional-carry-laws-as-gov-kemp-signs-new-law-in-georgia\/\" title=\"Half Of States Now Have Constitutional Carry Laws As Gov. Kemp Signs New Law In Georgia\">strong primary challenge<\/a>, the presence of a second challenger can benefit the incumbent by splitting the opposition vote. Constantin Querard, founder and president of the Arizona political consultant group Grassroots Partners, LLC, told The Federalist while that issue &ldquo;was definitely a concern early&rdquo; in the primary cycle, he thinks Hiatt &ldquo;hasn&rsquo;t had the money to be a competitive third candidate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The winner of Tuesday&rsquo;s Republican primary will go on to face Democrat Timothy Stringham in the November general election. Both Querard and Merissa Hamilton, co-founder of the Arizona-based civic advocacy group EZAZ.org, predicted Heap will win Tuesday&rsquo;s primary.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking with The Federalist, Hamilton noted that Maricopa County voters are &ldquo;very frustrated with the way [Richer] has decided to treat them and their concerns.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We know that the recorder also hasn&rsquo;t been truthful with the people with the people with issues that have occurred, including issues under his watch and before his watch,&rdquo; Hamilton said. Voters &ldquo;just want elections that work. They want a recorder that&rsquo;s going to be honest with them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Despite campaigning on upholding the integrity of the vote, Richer has regularly denigrated those he once claimed to represent and has defended Maricopa County&rsquo;s history of disorderly elections. As The Federalist&rsquo;s Mollie Hemingway previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/10\/20\/az-election-official-stephen-richer-ran-on-election-integrity-now-hes-accused-of-law-breaking-and-politicking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, Richer has written &ldquo;op-eds at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/09\/22\/opinions\/trusting-election-health-school-experts-richer\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CNN<\/a>&nbsp;against the type of election audits he conducted to gain power,&rdquo; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/05\/19\/opinions\/speaking-out-after-trumps-arizona-election-claims-stephen-richer\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attacked<\/a> &ldquo;Republican leaders and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/f\/?id=0000017b-6062-d290-a57b-ee62cfa80000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voters<\/a>&nbsp;for their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/az-judge-sides-with-senate-gop-over-audit-of-millions-of-ballots-election-equipment\/\" title=\"AZ: Judge Sides With Senate GOP Over Audit Of Millions Of Ballots, Election Equipment\">election integrity concerns<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, Richer <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/10\/20\/az-election-official-stephen-richer-ran-on-election-integrity-now-hes-accused-of-law-breaking-and-politicking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">launched<\/a> a political action committee aimed at electing candidates who share his disinterest in election integrity concerns and lobbied against a ballot measure seeking to strengthen Arizona&rsquo;s voter ID laws, a move his critics claimed is illegal. He also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2022\/11\/29\/arizona-maricopa-county-officials-certify-election-results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dismissed<\/a> voter concerns about Maricopa County&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/11\/23\/maricopa-county-made-arizonas-elections-even-more-of-a-disaster-than-people-realize\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2022 Election Day maladministration<\/a> &mdash; which disenfranchised voters &mdash; as &ldquo;conspiracy theories.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong>[RELATED:[RELATED:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/12\/01\/poll-worker-gives-an-inside-look-at-complete-chaos-in-maricopa-county-on-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Poll Worker Gives An Inside Look At &lsquo;Complete Chaos&rsquo; In Maricopa County On Election Day<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Richer has also reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/justthenews.com\/politics-policy\/elections\/ariz-sos-maricopa-county-censor-election-misinfo-view-first-amendment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">conspired<\/a> to censor those who raise questions about the conduct of Maricopa County elections and <a href=\"https:\/\/justthenews.com\/politics-policy\/elections\/maricopa-county-recorder-briefed-dhs-agency-march-combating-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">worked<\/a> with the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/cisa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency<\/a> &mdash; which critics refer to as the &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/09\/30\/these-house-republicans-voted-to-fund-cisas-criminal-censorship-and-election-interference\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nerve center<\/a>&rdquo; of the federal government&rsquo;s censorship operations &mdash; to combat what it considers to be &ldquo;misinformation,&rdquo; according to Just the News. He also <a href=\"https:\/\/azfreenews.com\/2024\/07\/maricopa-county-republican-recorder-richer-announces-intention-to-vote-for-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">previously disclosed<\/a> plans to vote for Joe Biden during the November election prior to the president&rsquo;s exit from the race.<\/p>\n<p>Will left-leaning independents &mdash; whom Arizona law <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azcleanelections.gov\/no-party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">allows<\/a> to vote in a party primary &mdash; vote in the GOP primary to push Richer to victory? &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what quantities they might, they might turn out for him,&rdquo; Querard said, adding &ldquo;I would assume he&rsquo;s trying to motivate them to turn out.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Richer&rsquo;s office directed The Federalist to his campaign email, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the AZ Free News report. <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-say-bidens-female-led-comms-is-a-first-trump-has-that-now\/\" title=\"Media Say Biden&#039;s Female-Led Comms Is A First. Trump Has That Now\">previously served<\/a> as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Election integrity supporters played a key role in electing Recorder Stephen Richer after the poor handling of the 2020 election in Maricopa County. However, since assuming office, Richer\u2014who is facing a primary challenge today\u2014has gained such favor among left-leaning circles that he is allegedly receiving financial support from prominent Democrat donor Reid Hoffman. According to AZ Free News, Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn and a significant contributor to Democrat causes, is listed as one of the main donors on pro-Richer mailers distributed by the leftist group Women for Justice. A mailer obtained by The Federalist identifies Hoffman as one of the top three contributors supporting Women for Justice&#8217;s initiatives and reveals that 47% of their funding for these mailers came from &#8220;out-of-state contributors.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>InfluenceWatch notes that Hoffman was largely apolitical until 2016 when he became an outspoken critic of then-Republican candidate Donald Trump during that presidential election. In subsequent years, he established various left-leaning organizations and fundraising efforts aimed at opposing Trump and the Republican Party.<\/p>\n<p>As previously mentioned by my colleague Logan Washburn, just days before an assassination attempt on Trump on July 13, Hoffman reportedly expressed regret over not making Trump &#8220;an actual martyr.&#8221; He later condemned this attempt on Trump&#8217;s life and sought to clarify his remarks in a post published July 14.<\/p>\n<p>Neither Hoffman nor Women for Justice responded to The Federalist\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Richer faces competition in his primary from two candidates: IT consultant Don Hiatt and Rep. Justin Heap from the Arizona Freedom Caucus. When an unpopular incumbent encounters strong primary opposition, having multiple challengers can sometimes benefit them by dividing opposition votes. Constantin Querard, president of Arizona political consulting firm Grassroots Partners LLC, indicated that while this was initially a concern early in the primary cycle regarding Hiatt&#8217;s competitiveness due to lack of funds seems less pressing now.<\/p>\n<p>The winner of Tuesday\u2019s Republican primary will compete against Democrat Timothy Stringham in November&#8217;s general election. Both Querard and Merissa Hamilton from civic advocacy group EZAZ.org predict Heap will win today\u2019s primary.<\/p>\n<p>Hamilton told The Federalist that voters in Maricopa County are &#8220;very frustrated&#8221; with how Richer has addressed their concerns: \u201cWe know he hasn\u2019t been truthful about issues occurring under his watch.\u201d Voters want reliable elections and transparency from their recorder.<\/p>\n<p>Despite campaigning on maintaining electoral integrity, Richer has frequently criticized those who once supported him while defending Maricopa County&#8217;s troubled electoral history. As reported earlier by The Federalist\u2019s Mollie Hemingway, Richer has written op-eds at CNN against election audits similar to those he conducted when gaining office and has attacked Republican leaders over their concerns about election integrity.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, Richer formed a political action committee focused on electing candidates who share his indifference toward election integrity issues while lobbying against measures intended to strengthen Arizona&#8217;s voter ID laws\u2014a move critics deemed illegal. He also dismissed voter complaints regarding mismanagement during Maricopa County\u2019s 2022 Election Day as \u201cconspiracy theories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, reports suggest Richer collaborated with federal agencies like Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to suppress questions surrounding Maricopa County elections&#8217; conduct; critics label CISA as central to government censorship efforts. He had also revealed intentions to vote for Joe Biden before Biden exited the race.<\/p>\n<p>Will independent voters leaning left\u2014who can participate in party primaries under Arizona law\u2014turn out en masse for Richer&#8217;s victory? Querard expressed uncertainty about how many might show up but assumed he&#8217;s trying to encourage them.<\/p>\n<p>Richer&#8217;s office directed inquiries about AZ Free News\u2019 report back to his campaign email; there was no immediate response.<\/p>\n<p>Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer at The Federalist with previous experience writing state content for Convention of States Action; his work appears across various platforms including RealClearPolitics and Conservative Review.<br \/>\nFollow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2316111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Stephen_Richer_53319762468.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[36680,36682,36681],"class_list":["post-2316110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-az-republicans","tag-leftist-links","tag-maricopa-elections"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Stephen_Richer_53319762468.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2316110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2316111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2316110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2316110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2316110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}