The second-term lawmaker says he was beckoned into the race by a litany of stakeholders — President Donald Trump, Arizona Republican Party Chair Gina Swoboda, the nebulous “future of Arizona” — so that he could boot Democrat Adrian Fontes from office and fix Arizona’s elections.
“Arizona elections continue to be a laughing stock under Fontes. Voter confidence is at historic lows,” Kolodin wrote in a separate tweet. “I'm running for Secretary of State to restore transparency, honesty, security, and lawfulness to our elections.”
When your Party Chair asks you to run.
— Rep. Alexander Kolodin (@realAlexKolodin) March 31, 2025
When the future of Arizona demands that you run.
And when you’re the most qualified person for the job.
You run.
I’m Alex Kolodin and I’m running for Secretary of State to restore transparency to our elections once and for all. pic.twitter.com/8GByrRbZ8Y
Unfortunately, like so much about Kolodin and how Arizonans vote, his big campaign announcement has some trouble with the facts.
In bold text, Kolodin’s video claims he was endorsed by Swoboda, whom Trump has credited with helping swing Arizona red in 2024. The video also includes audio and video clips of Swoboda singing Kolodin’s praises.
“Alex Kolodin is going to run for SOS, and I think Alex is amazing,” Swoboda can be heard saying. It’s immediately followed by a video of Swoboda telling Kolodin, “I’d be proud to endorse you, Alex.”
Despite those clips, Swoboda told Phoenix New Times hasn’t endorsed him and might actually run against him.
“I’m considering it hard,” Swoboda said in a phone call. She previously worked in the secretary of state’s office when its leader was now-Gov. Katie Hobbs. Kolodin did not return messages from Phoenix New Times.
Swoboda said she did say those things about Kolodin in his video, but those comments were from December or January. “I have said I would support him if he were the nominee — and I will, obviously,” Swoboda told New Times. She noted that the party’s bylaws stipulate that she is not allowed to endorse candidates in primaries, a change that followed former chair Kelli Ward’s perceived endorsement of Kari Lake in 2022.
Swoboda said Kolodin frequently sought help or advice from her prior to going rogue with his video, but he never asked her for an endorsement or told her he was going to jump into the race.
“Alex Kolodin asked me for a recommendation for U.S. attorney,” Swoboda said. “Alex Kolodin asked me if I thought he should run for (attorney general) and Alex Kolodin asked me if I thought he should run for SOS. He wanted to do all three — and Alex told me that he would call me before he got in the race to have a conversation with me, because he didn’t want to run against me.”
But somewhere along the way, that must have changed, Swoboda said.
Gina Swoboda, the chair of the Arizona Republican Party, said she has not endorsed state Rep. Alexander Kolodin for Arizona Secretary of State, despite Kolodin claiming otherwise.
Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0
Getting off on the wrong foot
Others in the Arizona political landscape immediately piled on Kolodin.On X, former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer — who battled the same election lies Kolodin helped to spread — called the video announcement “cringe.” (Richer declined to comment further when contacted by New Times.) Via text, Republican public relations consultant Barrett Marson told New Times that Kolodin’s endorsement screw-up is “true to form for him.”
Kolodin does have a dubious reputation — especially when it comes to elections. He was admonished by the State Bar of Arizona for making claims of massive election fraud without providing any evidence. He also represented the Arizona GOP in a lawsuit against Fontes and Maricopa County, claiming Fontes improperly tested voting machines ahead of July’s primary elections. However, the party settled the suit after it became clear Kolodin and others misunderstood the law.
The gangly lawyer-turned-lawmaker has also become well-known for his oddball theatrics in the Arizona House of Representatives. He got crosswise with Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell — also a Republican — for suggesting that prosecutors killed Gilbert Goons victim Preston Lord. Kolodin has also pushed laws to make pipe bombs and machine guns legal in Arizona and to bring back firing squads for state executions. Yet, he has also defied Republican Party convention at times, partnering last year with then-Rep. Analise Ortiz, a Democrat, to co-sponsor a relatively progressive bill that would have allowed criminal defendants to recover attorney fees if they were found not guilty.
All this has made Kolodin the Arizona Legislature’s wild card — you never know what position he will take or what he’ll say next. But most voters don’t pay attention to state legislature business, and Kolodin faces an uphill battle running for statewide office, especially if Swoboda runs against him in the primary.
“He’s not that well known outside of his Scottsdale district. He is well-known among the grassroots and party insiders, and that’s a good start for winning the primary,” Marson said. “But he needs to branch out to attract a lot of other people. I’m not sure he’ll have an easy time doing that.”
Even if Kolodin were to win the primary, Marson doubts he can beat Fontes. The right wing of the state GOP keeps making the same mistake of running an extreme candidate for statewide office against centrist Democrats and then losing. That happened with Blake Masters and twice with Kari Lake, and it’s poised to happen again with far-right GOP Rep. Andy Biggs running for governor against Hobbs.
“At some point, the far right will learn that Trumpian candidates don’t do very well on a statewide ballot — unless your name is Trump,” Marson said. “Election deniers so far have an incredibly bad record.”
That’s why one Democratic insider, who asked to remain anonymous, felt that Kolodin’s announcement was the “best news Adrian Fontes has gotten all week.” Marson echoed that thought.
“If Kolodin is the GOP nominee,” he said, “Fontes will not have to call the moving vans.”
