Sprinting Toward November

This Week in Democracy

• Several prominent Election Deniers won primary races in Arizona this week. Kari Lake, Mark Finchem, and Abraham Hamadeh, each of whom campaigned on election denial in 2022 and lost, will move on to the November election. Some pro-democracy officials were defeated in the primary, including Stephen Richer, the Republican recorder for Maricopa County. “Elections have winners and, sadly, losers. It looks like I’m going to end up on the losing side,” Richer wrote on X. “But that’s the name of the game. Accept it. Move on.”

➡️ EXPLORE: Election Denial in Arizona

• At an event last Friday, former President Trump told his supporters they “won’t have to vote anymore” if he is elected. When pressed to explain what he meant, Trump doubled down. Trump’s comments follow other statements he’s made about undermining democracy and his attempt to remain in power after losing the 2020 presidential election.
• A disciplinary panel in D.C. ruled that Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official under Trump who tried to help overturn the 2020 election, should have his law license suspended for two years. “We have found that Mr. Clark attempted to engage in reckless dishonesty,” the committee wrote.

➡️ READ: Backgrounder: Jeffrey Clark’s disciplinary trial

• The director behind Project 2025, the plan to remake the federal government under a second Trump presidency, stepped down as Trump is trying to distance himself from it. Nevertheless, the 920-page document written by Trump’s allies is still “an instruction manual” for his second term, States United CEO Joanna Lydgate told Joyce Vance, a member of States United’s Bipartisan Advisory Board.

➡️ READ: Joanna and Joyce’s conversation

• 93% of Americans, from across the political spectrum, believe that election workers should be protected from threats and harassment, according to a new survey from States United. A May survey from the Brennan Center for Justice found that nearly 40 percent of election officials have experienced threats, harassment, or abuse on the job.

➡️ READ: Full survey results

State of the States

In Nevada, Attorney General Aaron Ford appealed the dismissal of charges in the state’s fake electors case to the state supreme court. Six individuals were indicted in December by a grand jury on charges that they sent fraudulent certificates to Congress claiming that Trump won the state in 2020.

A district court judge dismissed the case in June, saying that Clark County, where charges were filed, lacked jurisdiction. “I have asked the Nevada Supreme Court to expedite its consideration of our appeals in the ‘fake electors’ cases,” Ford said about the appeal. “It is imperative that we hold these six individuals accountable for the sake of both the public good and the integrity of our elections.”

Clips of the Week

States United CEO Joanna Lydgate joined the PoliticsGirl Podcast to talk about the November elections, what States United is doing to prepare, and how voters can be ready.

Lizzie Ulmer, States United’s SVP of Strategy and Communications, joined CNN to discuss how  conspiracy theories are leading to thousands of baseless voter challenges and creating an unmanageable burden for election officials.

Anderson Cooper 360° / CNN

Recommended Reading

Thursday was National Poll Worker Recruitment Day. Our friends at Issue One published recommendations for how to attract and retain these critical public servants. “Without the help of poll workers, elections in the United States would not function,” Issue One’s Carah Ong Whaley said.

You can find out how to sign up to be a poll worker in your state here.

Issue One