Arizona voters heading into the 2026 primary season will see contested Republican nominating fights for three influential statewide offices: secretary of state, treasurer and the Corporation Commission. Those GOP primaries will determine which candidates face the Democratic incumbents and challengers on the November ballot — including Democrat Adrian Fontes for secretary of state, Democrat Nick Mansour for treasurer and Democrats Clara Pratte and Jonathon Hill for the Corporation Commission seats.
The secretary of state contest has drawn particular attention because it pits two well-known Arizona Republicans against one another in a race that centers on election administration and the oversight of future statewide contests. State Representative Alex Kolodin and former Arizona Republican Party chair Gina Swoboda are competing for the right to challenge incumbent Democrat Adrian Fontes. Both contenders bring records and controversies that underscore the stakes of the nomination.
Alex Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, is in his second term in the Arizona Legislature and has built a profile around skepticism about the integrity of U.S. elections. As a legislator he backed measures that would allow counties to employ hand‑counted tally methods — an approach that voting experts have described as more error‑prone than current systems. Kolodin’s work as a lawyer has drawn scrutiny: he was involved in litigation tied to high‑profile 2020 post‑election challenges, including cases that alleged widespread fraud and that were ultimately dismissed. Those legal efforts led to formal admonishments from the state bar and to requirements that he complete legal ethics education. He also represented some of the Republican electors who sought to overturn Arizona’s certified 2020 results. Kolodin has criticized his primary opponent, casting her as overly aligned with the Democratic incumbent’s positions.
A candidate photographed onstage during a televised Arizona forum, shown campaigning as part of statewide races for secretary of state, treasurer and the Corporation Commission.
Gina Swoboda’s resume includes service inside the secretary of state’s office under both a Republican and a Democrat, and leadership of the state Republican Party. She took over the party in January 2024 after the previous chair resigned amid internal discord. Swoboda previously ran voter integrity operations for the Trump campaign in Arizona in 2020 and led the Voter Reference Foundation, a nonprofit that sought discrepancies in voter files. Critics have questioned some of those efforts; Swoboda argues her experience in election administration and party organization make her a steadier choice for secretary of state. She briefly launched a congressional bid in 2025 before withdrawing and switching her focus to the secretary of state race, a position she has said is her principal interest. In the primary she portrays Kolodin as an unelectable standard‑bearer who would roll back Arizona’s mail‑in voting system.
The Republican primary for state treasurer has also turned contentious, with candidates trading barbs over who is best qualified to manage the state’s investment portfolio. Former state treasurer candidates Katherine Haley and Elijah Norton have squared off on experience and approaches to handling billions of dollars in public funds. Both are seeking the GOP nomination to set themselves up against Democrat Nick Mansour, who has assembled a substantial campaign war chest in his effort to flip the office from Republican to Democratic control.
The Corporation Commission contest will pare down a three‑way Republican field to two nominees who will appear on the November ballot alongside Democrats Clara Pratte and Jonathon Hill. Incumbent commissioners Kevin Thompson and Nick Myers are running for renomination and face a challenge from Ralph Heap. The Republican contenders are debating energy policy, utility rates and the scope of regulation administered by the commission, issues that resonate with Arizonans as the state balances growth, reliability and the transition in the energy sector.
The Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, the seat of the statewide offices being contested — secretary of state, treasurer and the Corporation Commission.
Taken together, the three GOP primaries will help set the political map for Arizona’s statewide leadership and regulatory agencies. The winners in each Republican race will move on to face their Democratic rivals in the general election, with control of offices that oversee elections administration, the state’s finances and regulation of utilities and energy markets at stake. Campaigning has included televised forums and debates where candidates have traded critiques of experience, qualifications and policy priorities, and the outcomes will be closely watched as the state heads into the November election.
Voters in both parties will ultimately narrow the fields in these contests through the primary process. For Republicans, the secretary of state outcome will select a challenger to Democrat Adrian Fontes; the treasurer primary will choose who faces Nick Mansour; and the Corporation Commission primary will determine which two GOP candidates will oppose Democrats Clara Pratte and Jonathon Hill in November. Those matchups will define the final statewide ballot for these offices and shape the political configuration of Arizona’s executive and regulatory leadership for the next term.