Arizona judge dismisses Mark Finchem's lawsuit seeking new election
Mark Finchem speaks during a campaign rally on Nov. 7 in Arizona. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
An Arizona judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit from Mark Finchem, a Republican who ran for Arizona secretary of state and lost, and was seeking a new election.
Driving the news: Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Melissa Julian dismissed the suit against governor-elect and current Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and Finchem's Democratic opponent, Adrian Fontes — confirming Fontes' win.
- "None of these alleged acts constitutes 'misconduct' sufficient to survive dismissal," the judge wrote.
Details: Finchem, an election denier, filed the lawsuit this month and requested an election redo.
- He and his legal team claimed Hobbs engaged in misconduct by failing to recuse herself and to certify ballot tabulating machines, and by flagging alleged misinformation posted on Finchem's Twitter account that resulted in a suspension from the social media platform, per court documents.
- Finchem's Twitter account has since been reinstated.
Background: Finchem, along with Trump-backed Republican Kari Lake who also lost her race for Arizona governor, did not concede their races and instead insinuated fraud is the reason they lost.
- Finchem did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.