Mark Finchem – Maricopa County resident

The failed Secretary of State candidate now lives in Maricopa County.

After it was reported failed Secretary of State candidate, early Stop the Stealer and “would not rehire” Kalamazoo cop Mark Finchem plans to run for Maricopa County Recorder, I of course had to look into his voter registration (again) to see if he even lived in the county.

He not only lives in Maricopa County, but has apparently lived here since January, according to his voter file records.

It was only recent we learned Finchem wants to challenge Stephen Richer as recorder in the state’s largest county and that he had *just* submitted his resignation as a precinct committeeman in Pima County, but records show he registered to vote in Maricopa County nearly six months ago.

I’m not aware if Finchem broke any state laws about being a PC in one county while being registered to vote in another, but it doesn’t look good for someone who wanted to oversee the state’s election system and now wants that same job for Maricopa County.

• Update: ARS 16-822 (D) states, “a vacancy shall exist in the office of precinct committeeman when the precinct committeeman moves from the precinct from which elected or changes political party from the party in which the precinct committeeman was elected.”

There’s a joke here about the voter rolls…

Anyway, looking into Finchem’s living situation further shows he lives in Phoenix, specifically near the affluent Biltmore neighborhood –– or at least that’s where he’s registered to vote. This goes against some local journalists reporting Finchem was living in Surprise based on Corporation Commission records showing a Surprise address registered to him for his LLC.

Coincidentally, that address is owned by Arizonans who contributed to Finchem’s failed bid for Secretary of State last year.

It’s unclear who owns the Phoenix condo/apartment Finchem is living in currently, but it’s likely not him and county assessor records did not show an owner. Finchem’s previous address in Oro Valley, the one he lived in while running for statewide office and included in his 2022 financial disclosure, is owned by a Finchem campaign contributor and the person who bought Finchem’s Oro Valley house in 2021 for nearly $500,000, also gave his campaign money.

It’s still too early to tell if Finchem is really going to run for County Recorder or if he will even get onto the ballot, but for those wondering if he would dare try to run for the State Legislature again, he’s currently living in one of the most liberal districts LD5.

But he could try to challenge David Schweikert for Congress in highly competitive CD1 or even given the Board of Supervisors a try in District 3, which will be open when Bill Gates, a Republican¹, retires.

There’s something to be said here too about how Finchem just lost last election to Adrian Fontes, Arizona’s current Secretary of State, and Fontes lost in 2020 to Stephen Richer, Maricopa County’s current recorder, you’d think Richer would defeat Finchem as well.

Also, when Richer first ran he claimed he wanted to make the office boring again. That definitely didn’t happen and if these two face off next year it will be anything but that.

1. For now.* Rumors have been floating for a while now that Gates might switch parties after he retires from the elected life and nobody can be too surprised. A person can only go through so much trauma and so many death threats from members of his own party before wanting out.