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Trump-backed Rep. Kolodin Wins Arizona GOP Primary

7/22/2026

Center

Kolodin Wins Primary

Republican state Rep. Alexander Kolodin won Arizona’s GOP primary, setting a November general-election contest against Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.
Kolodin was sanctioned by the State Bar of Arizona for his lawsuits contesting the 2020 and 2022 election results.
Former state GOP chair Gina Swoboda was defeated by Kolodin in the primary.
Turning Point USA and several Arizona Republican members of Congress backed his campaign.

Left

Kolodin Wins Primary

Republican state Rep. Alexander Kolodin won Arizona’s GOP primary, setting a November contest against Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.
Critics warn Kolodin’s voter-ID proposal could undermine Arizona’s mail-ballot system.
Kolodin, an attorney, has backed U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims and joined lawsuits to overturn Arizona’s 2020 and 2022 results.
Turning Point USA backed Kolodin’s campaign; Fontes won the 2022 secretary-of-state race by about four points.

History

Historical Context

After the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision on December 12, 2000 halted Florida’s statewide recount in Bush v. Gore, the election was decided by a 537-vote margin. That precedent of disputed ballots reshaping outcomes now underpins Arizona Rep. Alexander Kolodin’s voter-ID lawsuit—backed by Turning Point USA and former GOP chair Gina Swoboda—against Secretary Adrian Fontes, reflecting the GOP’s broader post-2020 fraud strategy.

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Kolodin Wins Primary

Republican state Rep. Alexander Kolodin won Arizona’s GOP primary, setting a November general-election contest against Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.
Kolodin was sanctioned by the State Bar of Arizona for his lawsuits contesting the 2020 and 2022 election results.
Former state GOP chair Gina Swoboda was defeated by Kolodin in the primary.
Turning Point USA and several Arizona Republican members of Congress backed his campaign.

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