Current:Home > MyArizona Republican lawmaker Justin Heap is elected recorder for the state’s most populous county -GrowthProspect
Arizona Republican lawmaker Justin Heap is elected recorder for the state’s most populous county
View
Date:2025-04-11 21:35:42
Follow AP’s coverage of the presidential election.
PHOENIX (AP) — Justin Heap, a Republican state legislator who questioned the administration of elections in Arizona’s most populous county, has been elected to oversee the vote as Maricopa County Recorder.
Heap could dramatically alter the way elections are handled in Maricopa County, the fourth-largest U.S. county with a population of some 4.5 million and a hotbed of conspiracy theories about the vote following President-elect Donald Trump’s loss in 2020.
His Democratic challenger was Tim Stringham, who served in the military, first in the Army and then the Navy as an attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Stringham conceded defeat and congratulated Heap on Wednesday.
The path to victory began with a win over the current Recorder Stephen Richer in the July Republican primary.
Richer has endured harassment — even death threats — and a flood of misinformation while defending the legitimacy of the vote over four years in one of the nation’s most closely watched political battlegrounds. His office fought off criticism over the results of the 2020 presidential election, as Trump and his supporters falsely claimed that widespread fraud cost him the race.
The recorder’s office splits election duties with the county Board of Supervisors, whose members were similarly attacked when they defended the county’s elections.
Heap has stopped short of saying the 2020 and 2022 elections were stolen, but he has said the state’s practices for handling early ballots are insecure and has questioned how ballots are transported, handled and stored after they are submitted. Earlier this year, Heap proposed an unsuccessful bill to remove Arizona from a multistate effort to maintain voter lists.
“I am humbled and honored to have been elected as the next Maricopa County Recorder,” Heap said in a victory statement Wednesday, shortly after Stringham conceded. “I intend to fulfill my promise of being a Recorder for every voter because protecting the integrity of our elections is an issue that impacts us all.”
He said he would work with the state Legislature to help “restore Maricopa County to its rightful place as the preeminent leader in elections management in all of America.”
Stringham posted on the social platform X that he called Heap “to congratulate him on a long campaign completed for both of us and wish him luck.”
veryGood! (9855)
Related
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Animal populations shrank an average of 69% over the last half-century, a report says
- Scarlett Johansson Makes Rare Comment About Ex-Husband Ryan Reynolds
- Dozens are dead from Ian, one of the strongest and costliest U.S. storms
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- U.N. plan would help warn people in vulnerable countries about climate threats
- Maya Lin doesn't like the spotlight — but the Smithsonian is shining a light on her
- You Won't Believe All of the Celebrities That Have Hooked Up With Bravo Stars
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Rise Of The Dinosaurs
Ranking
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Democrats' total control over Oregon politics could end with the race for governor
- How ancient seeds in Lebanon could help us adapt to climate change
- Interest In Electric Vehicles Is Growing, And So Is The Demand For Lithium
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- How ancient seeds in Lebanon could help us adapt to climate change
- 14 Armenian-Owned Brands to Support Now & Always
- Hailey Bieber Recalls Facing Saddest, Hardest Moments in Her Life Since Start of 2023
Recommendation
Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
15 Affordable Amazon Products You Need If The Microwave Is Basically Your Sous-Chef
Aaron Carter's Cause of Death Revealed
20 Must-Have Amazon Products For People Who Are Always Spilling Things
What to watch: O Jolie night
California's flooding reveals we're still building cities for the climate of the past
Madison Beer Recalls Trauma of Dealing With Nude Video Leak as a Teen
Polar bears in a key region of Canada are in sharp decline, a new survey shows