Polls reveal that a plurality of Arizona Republicans is all-in for subverting democracy and instituting a theocratic dictatorship. Big Lie spewer Mark Finchem holds a double-digit lead over his closest competitor in the upcoming GOP primary for secretary of state, a role that oversees state elections.
Finchem is a member of the Oath Keepers, an anti-government hate group. He is a believer in the violent QAnon movement and was videotaped near the Capitol steps during the J6 insurrection. He also denies that Biden won the 2020 election and frequently lies about voter fraud. He is also a fan of cowboy cosplay, frequently dressing up in a cowboy hat and cowboy boots, and wearing belts with oversized buckles and adorable western ties.
In 2017, he falsely said the protest in Charlottesville, Virginia — where a white supremacist killed one person and injured others when he drove his car into a group of anti-racism demonstrators — was a "Deep State PSYOP."
Finchem is also an adherent of the QAnon conspiracy theory, which the Federal Bureau of Investigations deems a domestic terror threat. QAnon supporters falsely believe that the government is run by a group of powerful elites who worship Satan and run a child sex ring.
Finchem attended a QAnon conference in 2021 in Las Vegas, has posted QAnon content on white supremacist websites, and once reportedly said that "a lot of people" in government are "involved in a pedophile network in the distribution of children."
