Ringleader of Trump-aligned election officials nears Nevada takeover
One of the leading supporters of the false claim that 2020 was stolen is about to become the chief elections official for Nevada, which would allow him to run the vote in Nevada’s critical swing state for 2024 presidential election.
Republican Jim Marchant could win his close secretary-of-state race and fundamentally change Nevada’s elections. This would have huge implications for the way they are run. He called for the elimination of mail voting, the curtailing of early voting, and the push for hand counting ballots. This is despite the fact that machines are more error-prone than the practice and could make it harder to vote in Nevada. It could cause chaos both in the state as well as nationally if he refuses to certify accurate election results.
Marchant isn’t the only one: He leads a group that supports hard-right and anti-election-denying candidates from Arizona, Michigan, and other states who share similar views. Marchant, who was at a rally last month with President Donald Trump, promised that his pro-Trump class of secretaries of state would “fix all of America” and that President Trump will be back in 2024.
Cisco Aguilar (Marchant’s Democratic opponent), says that he is still not receiving the support he needs in order to win.
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Secretaries of state races, once little-known and often overlooked, are now leading the fight for how Americans vote. Aguilar is a first-time candidate against Marchant. He doesn’t think his race has received the attention or resources it deserves, especially considering the implications for next year’s presidential race. Aguilar stated that his party has not engaged much.
Aguilar stated that “Nobody will answer my calls” during a POLITICO interview between events in Reno. Nev. You are fighting incredibly hard and nobody will have a discussion with you about it.
Aguilar said, “People in Nevada expect that I will be running a race similar to the governor and U.S. senator.” A U.S. senator can have $40 million, $50 million. Both $15 million are held by our governor. I have $2,000,000
This is paradoxical for Aguilar, and other candidates like it. Aguilar, the Democratic candidate, is still raising record amounts of cash for an office that rarely draws much attention. As of mid-October Aguilar reported having raised $2.2 million. This is less than the combined fundraising of the two candidates in 2018. These races are not being covered by the majority of Democratic outside groups, which have beaten Republicans in advertising. The Democratic Association of Secretaries of State is the main party committee responsible for electing these candidates. It has already launched its largest TV ad campaign ever, with $11 million of advertising in Michigan, Minnesota, and Nevada.
However, the spending is still minimal when compared to the competitive federal and gubernatorial elections — especially Las Vegas which has become one the most crowded media markets and the most expensive of the 2022 election.
POLITICO reached out to Marchant’s campaign for an interview but they did not respond. He and his fellow members of his coalition don’t engage regularly with the mainstream media. They stick to far-right outlets which often amplify their misinformation about 2020.
Marchant stated that “secretary of state races” is critical to the country, and this cycle in particular, in a recent interview with Legacy PAC. This interview was captured by a liberal tracking organisation. “I was asked to run as secretary of state. “We control the electoral system so I accepted.”
Aguilar wanted to run to reform Nevada’s complex and outdated business filing system. This is an important but obscure part of the secretary of state’s office. He also wanted to protect access to the ballot. His race is now all about the future democracy in one the most important battlegrounds states.
Aguilar stated, “When the [GOP] primary results was announced, it just hit me like an ton of bricks.” This is about Nevada’s future as a whole. It is not about Republican or Democratic priorities. It’s about Nevada’s future for all of us.”
The Nevada race is also notable because Marchant founded the America First Secretary Of State Coalition, which provides a clearinghouse for similar candidates who are seeking to become the chief election officer in their state.
Marchant suggested that he would help Trump win by putting his finger on the scale at a rally Trump hosted earlier in October. Marchant said, “We have something common: President Trump lost an election in 2020 due to a rigged vote,” while cheering on Trump. He also claimed he has problems with elections. “When my coalition secretary of state candidates across the country are elected, we’re gonna fix the entire country and President Trump will be back in 2024,” Marchant said.
Trump responded, “You better get it in, you so desperately need him,”
Aguilar, a former intern for Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), has found the contest difficult. Although there has not been much public polling on the race, recent surveys have indicated a close race. A poll by The Nevada Independent/OH Predictive Insights showed Aguilar ahead by three points over Marchant. A CNN poll at the beginning last month showed Marchant leading by three points.
The five most competitive secretary-of-state races, Arizona, Georgia and Michigan, as well as Nevada, have seen a record amount of spending. This has flooded the advertising budgets of Republicans.
AdImpact, an advertising tracking company, has data showing that at least $40 Million of advertising was booked for Democratic candidates in these states since Sept. 1. This compares to just $1 million for Republicans. The Nevada Democrats have spent $7.7 million on advertising during that period — with none supporting Marchant.
Aguilar stated that he had difficulty getting people to listen to his pleas in Washington, except for Sen. Jacky Rosen (D.Nev.), who is up to reelection in 2024 and a few groups that focused on secretary-of-state races.
“Federal [politicking] suckers up a lot a lot of that donor source and that’s that constant response — ‘CCM is fighting to survive,'” he stated, referring to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., who is currently in one of the most close elections in the country. She determines who leads Senate. Why would anyone care about Nevada or its SOS race?
Aguilar stated that there is a disconnect between the messages regular voters want and what Democrats are saying about secretary-of-state contests.
Aguilar stated, “That was my frustration at the beginning, because everyone was like, fighting for democracy. fighting for democracy.'” “Yes, it makes sense as political insiders.
