Hard right kicks off its plan to destroy Stephen Richer. I'm still laughing about it

Rep. Justin Heap kicked off his challenge to Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer on Wednesday, pledging to run elections “honestly, transparently and securely.”

Then he finally filed his 2023 campaign finance report — 43 days late.

In his tardy campaign finance report, Heap claimed to have collected no PAC money last year.

Yet records on file in the Secretary of State’s Office show that the Realtors of AZ PAC gave Heap $1,500 last year.

And the Pinnacle West Capital Corporation PAC gave him $500. And the AZ Fraternal Order of Police PAC gave him $250. And Freeport-McMoRan PAC gave him $300.

There are, no doubt, others if you dig into the files. But those few, quickly discovered by 3TV's Dennis Welch and Democratic consultant Tony Cani, set the pattern.

Heap pledges transparency (yeah, right)

Standing behind Heap during his press conference were at least two fake electors and most of the Arizona Freedom Caucus that dominates the Legislature.

But the candidate who pledged transparency and honesty curiously refused to answer reporters’ questions about whether he believes the 2020 and 2022 elections were stolen.

Hard-right drive to oust Richer: Will get ugly

“Ensuring that voters have confidence in our elections and that Arizona’s election days are run honestly, transparently and securely is the civil rights issue of our time,” Heap said during his press conference on the Capitol lawn.

Maybe he doesn’t know that the county recorder doesn’t run Election Day in Maricopa County? That role falls to an election director who reports directly to the county Board of Supervisors.

As election kickoffs go, Wednesday was a heaping helping of hooey.

Not that it’ll matter.

The MAGA mob is coming for Richer

The MAGA mob is coming for Richer, and they punch low.

Consider the latest smear from a Turning Point USA operative.

“Maricopa county at its finest,” Aubrey Savela, a Turning Point Action field representative, posted to social media, attaching a picture of two early ballots she received. “My first time ever voting in a presidential preference election and I received not one but two mail-in ballots. Thank you  @stephen_richer.”

Naturally, the conspiracy crowd quickly jumped on the revelation.

“As I shared with you multiple times, early voting equals early cheating. Now you get to witness one of the many ways it happens… ,” Gail Golec squawked.

Then came Richer, who proceeded to make them look, well, downright foolish.

“Hi Aubrey! Thanks for reaching out,” he replied to Savela.

Richer went on to explain that Savela changed her voter registration to a new address on Feb. 20, the final day for such changes and just one day before early ballots must, by law, be in the mail — something she evidently forgot to mention in her post.

“That's why you had to redact out different lengths in the address (because they were sent to different addresses),” he wrote.

If Heap takes out Richer, can he win?

Naturally, the die-hard squawkers kept a sqawkin’.

“Why would you believe any government official?” Golec puffed, before she proceeded to launch into other election conspiracy theories.

And there you have it.

There is simply no factual explanation that the conspiracy crowd will accept for why their candidates keep losing elections in Arizona.

Heap may well win the Republican primary, stacked as it is with voters who have been repeatedly, incessantly schooled to ignore facts in favor of conspiracy theories.

But can he win a general election?

Ask Martha McSally (or rather, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly).

Ask Kari Lake (or rather, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs).

Ask Mark Finchem and Abe Hamadeh (or rather, Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes).

That applause that rang out yesterday as Heap kicked off his campaign to knock off a Republican incumbent?

It wasn’t all from the hard right.

Reach Roberts at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @LaurieRoberts or on Threads at laurierobertsaz.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hard-right plan to destroy Stephen Richer has a laughable start