By admin 
SCOTTSDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — Incumbent Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Republican challenger Alexander Kolodin exchanged personal attacks during a debate for Arizona’s secretary of state race, with the midterm election less than five weeks away.
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Candidates question each other’s records
Fontes questioned Kolodin’s legal judgment and readiness to oversee elections. Kolodin focused on Fontes’ personal and official records.
“One of the things that’s really important about this race is that the office holder will also be the secretary of state and chief election officer moving forward over the next several years. Now, I’ve got that experience, but unfortunately, I’m running against an individual who has been found guilty of lying by the Arizona Supreme Court, disciplined by the State Bar,” Fontes said.
“Adrian Fontes doesn’t know how to follow the law. From his time as a college student being indicted for a felony for leading police on a high-speed chase where he could have killed someone and was called mentally unstable by the arresting officers, to his time as an elections official where he has repeatedly trampled on Arizonans’ constitutional rights, had to be stopped by judges of his own party, and been found guilty by multiple courts of trying to lie to you,” Kolodin said.
Cartel accusation draws sharp response
During the debate, Kolodin referred to Fontes as a cartel lawyer.
“Call me a cartel lawyer one more time. We’re going to have a personal problem, Mr. Kolodin, because you know that that’s a big fat lie. And you keep pushing it for the wrong reasons,” Fontes said. “That kind of baiting is unnecessary. It’s unprofessional … What do you want me to do? Sit here and just take it, Alex? You have no character.”
Background on the claims
Fontes led police on a DUI chase across Arizona State University’s campus nearly four decades ago while he was in college, an incident he has long acknowledged and publicly described as a youthful mistake.
Kolodin, an attorney and current state representative, was previously admonished and suspended by the State Bar for filing frivolous lawsuits challenging the 2020 election results.
Their first televised debate last month was heated; the two candidates sparred over election security and traded accusations of lying and distorting the facts.
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Fontes, a Democrat, has served as secretary of state since January 2023. He’s a former prosecutor and Marine Corps veteran.
Kolodin, first elected to the state Legislature in 2022, represents northeast Maricopa County, including parts of Fountain Hills and Cave Creek.
Fontes was the Maricopa County recorder during the 2020 election while Kolodin was an elections lawyer who challenged the election results, including filing the infamous “Kraken lawsuit” that alleged massive voter fraud in Arizona’s elections without evidence. Kolodin was sanctioned by the state bar over the baseless lawsuit and placed on probation.
Kolodin is also the lawmaker behind a statewide ballot measure that, if approved in November, would require voter ID to vote in Arizona’s elections, including mail-in voting.
The secretary of state is responsible for overseeing elections, registering voters and encouraging active participation in elections. The role also certifies voting devices, election results, candidates and ballot measures.
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