WITH PREJUDICE

Failed Far-Right Arizona Candidate’s Election Lawsuit Dismissed

Mark Finchem, a fervent stop-the-steal Republican who filed a lawsuit vying for an election do-over with ballots only counted by hand, has had his lawsuit dismissed with prejudice.

Stop-the-steal failed candidate for Arizona’s secretary of state Mark Finchem’s lawsuit attempting to redo the election was thrown out by a judge Friday. Finchem had accused Katie Hobbs, Democratic governor-elect and current secretary of state, of running an illegitimate election because she didn’t recuse herself from her duties. The lawsuit asked the judge to strip certification of victory from Adrian Fontes, the Democrat who won the election, as well as vocal House Democrat Ruben Gallego. He also called for a do-over statewide election where ballots are entirely counted by hand, calling into question the voting machines used in the election. Fellow far-right Republican Kari Lake, who lost the governor’s race, also filed a suit claiming she’s the legitimate winner of the election. The judge dismissed Finchem’s case with prejudice, meaning it can’t be refiled. “The law in Arizona does not permit an election challenge to proceed based solely upon a vague sense of unease,” Judge Melissa Iyer Julian wrote in her decision. She also gave Hobbs and Fontes 10 days to file sanctions, if they choose.