Alexander Kolodin Announces Run for Arizona Secretary of State Amid Election Controversy
Arizona’s political landscape is buzzing as Republican state Rep. Alexander Kolodin launches his campaign for Secretary of State in the 2026 election. Currently serving Scottsdale, Kolodin is challenging the current Democratic officeholder, Adrian Fontes.
The announcement on Monday saw Kolodin sidestep questions regarding his previous assertions about election security. His history includes involvement in the notorious “kraken” lawsuit post-2020 election, which was dismissed by the federal courts.
Kolodin faced sanctions from the state bar due to his representation of Arizona’s “fake electors” who attempted to invalidate the 2020 presidential election outcome. In addition, he was the legal representative for Cyber Ninjas, the firm that conducted a contentious audit of Maricopa County’s 2020 ballots after the state swung in favor of Joe Biden over Donald Trump.
Kolodin, who claims to bring back voter confidence through transparency, stated, “I’m running to restore trust in a system that belongs to the people, not the politicians, to bring competence, clarity and confidence back to the process and to make Arizona the model for how to run world-class elections.”
During his campaign launch, Kolodin was flanked by fellow members of the state’s Freedom Caucus, showing their support. However, he avoided addressing questions from the press, including why he should be trusted with Arizona’s election processes despite his past claims of rigged elections.
Addressing transparency, he remarked, “Rules, deadlines, policies, voters should know what’s changing, why it’s changing, and who made the decision to change it. When voters have transparency in the process, they can trust the results.”
Kolodin refrained from commenting on whether he supports former President Trump’s recent executive order on elections that mandates documentary proof of citizenship for federal voting. Fontes has cited this order as a reason for maintaining his position, arguing it requires opposition to the president’s alleged overreach.
When asked about his potential resignation from the state House or the GOP’s role in undermining election trust, Kolodin chose not to respond. He emphasized, “This election is about the future, not about rehashing 2020 or 2022,” sidestepping inquiries about the legitimacy of President Biden’s and Governor Hobbs’ victories.
Kolodin has formally declared his intent to run for the secretary of state position. He has criticized Fontes for allegedly not enhancing election procedures, citing a legal case where Fontes’ office did not allow sufficient time for public comment on the 2024 election manual.
Meanwhile, Arizona Republican Party Chair Gina Swoboda is contemplating her own bid for the office, which could see her competing with Kolodin in the Republican primary. Swoboda refuted Kolodin’s claims of her endorsement, stating she remains neutral in the primaries.
In a campaign video, Kolodin included past audio of Swoboda expressing support for him, stating, “When your party chair asks you to run, when the future of Arizona demands that you run, and when you’re the most qualified person for the job, you run.” Swoboda reiterated her stance, saying, “If Rep. Kolodin were to win the Republican primary for secretary of state, he would have my full support in the general election as I have previously stated.”
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