GOP primary voters in Arizona’s largest county oust election official who endured years of attacks

Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican who defied death threats and near-constant harassment to relentlessly defend the legitimacy of Arizona’s elections, has lost his primary race this week. It’s a vote that could significantly influence the way elections are run in one of the nation’s top battleground counties. He lost to state lawmaker Justin Heap, who has questioned certain aspects of how elections are run, in a three-way GOP primary that ended Tuesday. Heap will face Democrat Tim Stringham in November. Election officials and others who promote good government across the country responded to Richer’s primary loss by saying he was an inspiration for his transparency and having the courage to stand up for the facts.