Election skeptics are ahead in county races across Arizona

Unofficial results show election skeptics leading Wednesday in various county-level contests across the state.

County recorders and supervisors hold power over local election operations, and in many areas of Arizona, GOP candidates who have challenged voting and counting processes appeared poised to take key seats.

In Yuma County, a purple region in the southwestern corner of the state, small business owner and conservative activist David Lara was leading by a wide margin in a contested recorder's race. He has repeatedly spread conspiracies about elections and partially inspired the debunked film "2,000 Mules."

He previously tossed his hat in the ring for other local elected positions, and he has claimed all of his losses were because of voter fraud.

In southeastern Arizona, two incumbents who have questioned election processes seemed set to see new terms. Cochise County Recorder David Stevens, a former state lawmaker who propelled efforts to illegally hand count all of the county's midterm election ballots, was leading his Democratic opponent by a vast margin.

Cochise County Supervisor Tom Crosby appeared poised for reelection, even as he faced election interference charges by state prosecutors after delaying the certification of votes in 2022.

Tim Jordan was leading the recorder's race in rural Navajo County, which encompasses parts of the Navajo Nation. He has made God a cornerstone of his campaign and has echoed false claims around mail-in voting and ballot drop boxes. Jordan was recently arrested following a road rage incident in which he allegedly pulled a gun and yelled obscenities in front of a Christian school in Show Low.

In Mohave County, a conservative stronghold, Supervisor Ron Gould appeared set to win reelection. He is a proponent of hand counting election results. Sonny Borrelli, a state senator who has repeatedly pushed hand counting, also looked likely to win a supervisor seat.

Election skeptics could also be poised to pick up wins in populous Maricopa County. Arizona Rep. Justin Heap and Chandler City Councilmember Mark Stewart both held leads in their respective races for recorder and county supervisor on Tuesday night. Both have toed the line of election denialism.

A few counties were bucking the trend. Democrat Aubrey Sonderegger has a wide lead against Republican Bob Thorpe in the contested Coconino County recorder's race. The county is largely rural and geographically massive, stretching from Flagstaff to the Utah border.Meanwhile, Recorder Dana Lewis looked set to keep her seat in Pinal County despite a write-in challenge from Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh, who previously denied the results of his primary race for county sheriff. Pinal County, sandwiched between Phoenix and Tucson, is one of the fast-growing regions in the state.