Alexander Kolodin seeks secretary of state post under Freedom Caucus banner
Republican Alexander Kolodin is running for Arizona secretary of state, promising to improve voter confidence in elections by being transparent and secure.
In a March 31 announcement, Kolodin criticized Adrian Fontes, a Democrat and the current secretary of state, for being a hyper partisan. At his state Capitol announcement, he drew laughs from supporters when he mocked Fontes' stance that President Donald Trump is trying to cancel elections.
"President Donald Trump is not going to cancel the 2026 election," Kolodin said.
Kolodin is running under the banner of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, which is supporting Congressman Andy Biggs for governor in 2026. The caucus represents the farther right reaches of the state COP.
Kolodin refused to comment on the legality of Trump's election executive order, issued March 26. Critics say it's unconstitutional, as the states, not the executive, are in charge of elections and have vowed to sue.
But he praised the order's stipulation that people must provide documents proving U.S. citizenship in order to vote, a provision that's been in Arizona law for years.
He also rebuffed numerous questions from reporters, dismissing some of the queries as partisan.
Kolodin touted his success last year with legislation that required ballots be walked into the polls in the 2024 elections to be hand counted as a check on the automatic tabulation machines. It delayed the reporting of election returns, but Kolodin said it was done to boost confidence in voters who are wary of machine counts.
He also said he helped craft strategy to challenge the Elections Procedures Manual, a guidebook produced by the secretary of state and the 15 county recorders that outlines the fine-grain details of how elections are run. It worked; a court earlier this year found issues with the manual. Fontes has said he is appealing the ruling.
Kolodin is a second term lawmaker, representing Legislative District 3 in the northeast Valley.
He's the vice-chairman of the Regulatory Oversight Committee in the Arizona House of Representatives and the sponsor of a wide range of bills, from a proposal to institute the firing squad as Arizona's method of capital punishment to numerous election-related bills.
One of those proposals is to give the Legislature the final say on the Elections Procedures Manual.
An attorney, he has represented clients in numerous election-related lawsuits. Most notably, he represented the state Republican Party in a lawsuit in the aftermath of the 2020 election that argued Arizona's early voting system was unconstitutional. He lost that case, and the state Supreme Court declined to take up the issue.
Fontes has not announced his intentions for the 2026 election cycle. He has flirted with running for other offices, most recently for the Congressional District 7 seat in southwestern Arizona.
But on March 26, he announced he would not run for that seat, citing the need to defend against what he sees as President Donald Trump's effort to cancel future elections. It was a reaction to the president's executive order that would change election procedures, a move that many view as outside his power because the U.S. Constitution gives the states the power to run elections.
At the time, Fontes would not comment on whether he would seek a second term as secretary.
Kolodin's announcement comes a year after then-state lawmaker Justin Heap announced his bid for Maricopa County recorder. A member of the Freedom Caucus, Heap defeated incumbent Steven Richer in the GOP primary and went on to win the seat.
Thus far, Kolodin is the only Republican running for the secretary post. State Republican Party chair Gina Swoboda has been mentioned as a possible candidate but she has not committed to the race.
Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on social media @maryjpitzl.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Alexander Kolodin seeks secretary of state post under Freedom Caucus banner
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