Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer lost his Republican primary for re-election, a remarkable turnaround in the race for a critical election official, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ.
Richer lost to state Rep. Justin Heap, a member of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, for a role that manages voter rolls and early voting, among other responsibilities.
Richer refused to entertain election conspiracy theories and defended the legitimacy of the 2020 and 2022 election results and the Maricopa County Clerk’s Office procedures. He drew the ire of conservatives who incorrectly said they accused him of interfering in the election. He officially became recorder in 2021 and therefore did not administer the county’s 2020 elections.
On Wednesday, Richer admitted in a post on social platform X.
“Elections have winners and, unfortunately, losers,” Richer wrote. “And on this one, it looks like I’m going to end up on the losing side of the column. But that’s the name of the game. Accept it. Move on.”
He congratulated Heap in his comments.
Richer filed a defamation lawsuit against Republican Kari Lake regarding comments she made about him and his role in the 2022 election cycle. Lake lost the Arizona gubernatorial race that cycle, but refused to concede.
Richer’s Republican primary was seen as a litmus test of the direction of the Republican Party in Arizona.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
