State Representative Mark Finchem (R-AZ) is a member of the militant Oath Keepers group.
He falsely claimed that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and attended the rally in DC that happened directly before the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
Now, Finchem is running for Secretary of State of Arizona.
Mark Finchem is a far-right State Representative in Arizona, who has held that position since 2015.
His extreme anti-government beliefs put him at odds with the many patriotic Americans who support law enforcement.
Fincham Spread False Election Claims
After former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, Finchem falsely claimed that the election was stolen.
Finchem also urged the Arizona legislature to choose fake presidential electors who would ignore the will of the people and elect Trump.
He even attended a rally in DC on January 5th in which he addressed a crowd of Trump loyalists, joking that the day’s rain storm was God washing away the stench of Washington, D.C. The “pre-rally” held on Jan. 5 at Freedom Plaza contained a who’s who of the political fringe and members of the #StopTheSteal movement.
Connection to Oath Keepers and January 6th
Finchem has been a member of the Oath Keepers since at least 2014 when he told a Maricopa County news outlet he was part of the group.
Finchem claims to be part of the group to support “limited, constitutional government.” But in reality, the Oath Keepers militia group is an anti-government group, whose members admitted to breaking into the Capitol and attacking police officers on January 6, 2021.
Fincham himself was just one hundred yards east of the Capitol steps during the January 6th riot. He tweeted photos of Trump supporters on the Capitol steps before rioters breached the building.
Not only did Finchem not take responsibility for spreading election fraud lies that fueled the attack, he claimed without evidence that left-wing agitators were behind the Capitol attack.
The FBI has debunked these claims and convicted many Oath Keepers who were part of the attack.
Secretary of State Campaign
Finchem is running for Secretary of State of Arizona, the office responsible for running fair, secure elections. But Finchem is still pushing conspiracy theories and election lies about the 2020 election being stolen.
In early 2022, Finchem introduced a proposal in the legislature to recall Arizona’s 2020 presidential electors, a power the legislature does not have.
Republican Rusty Bowers, Speaker of the House of Arizona, indicated that Finchem’s idea was not good.
“Mr. Finchem’s obviously unconstitutional and profoundly unwise proposal will receive all of the consideration it deserves,” Bowers said, meaning no consideration.
Despite pushback from Republican leadership, Finchem continues to push false claims about election fraud. And he wants the voters of Arizona to trust him with running elections.