During a Save America Rally in Georgia this past weekend, former President Donald Trump referred to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich as “a good man.” Much of Trump’s speech addressed voter fraud, including the independent report that came out last week on the Maricopa County ballot audit, which is being turned over to Brnovich for investigation.
Trump said, “Hopefully the Arizona attorney general, a good man, will do far more for his state than your attorney general has done for your state because your attorney general has not done what he’s supposed to be doing. What he’s supposed to be doing is free and clear and non-corrupt elections. They’re not doing that. We must elect strong, brave America first leaders who will be true champions for the people and for free, fair and honest elections.”
Brnovich vowed immediately last week to investigate the results of the audit. Brnovich has gotten involved numerous times in the effort to combat voter fraud since the 2020 presidential election. He wrote to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors a few days after the election urging them to more than double the hand audit. He filed an amicus brief in support of the Arizona State Senate demanding that the supervisors turn over the Dominion voting machines for inspection. He sent a stern letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland telling him to stay out of Arizona’s ballot audit.
He defended two of Arizona’s laws combating voter fraud all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he won. In Brnovich v. DNC, the nation’s highest court upheld a ban on ballot harvesting and a ban on voting outside of a voter’s precinct. Democratic Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs refused to defend the laws, so Brnovich jumped in instead. As a result of her inaction, the Arizona Legislature later stripped her office of its authority to defend Arizona election laws.
Other election audits are beginning around the country, as officials in several states are becoming concerned as they heard early reports coming from Arizona’s audit. Last Thursday, the Texas Secretary of State announced the office would conduct a “full and comprehensive forensic audit” of the 2020 election in four heavily populated counties. There are two audits taking place in Wisconsin, one by the Legislative Audit Bureau and another by a retired Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. Republicans are also seeking reviews in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
A Rasmussen poll in June found that a majority, 55 percent, of likely voters support election audits. An April poll found that 51 percent of voters believe it was at least somewhat likely that cheating affected the outcome of the 2020 election. The last poll in Arizona before the election by Rasmussen, on October 29, 2020, showed Trump up 4 points over Joe Biden.
Trump criticized Brnovich in May for not being proactive enough about election fraud. Brnovich is running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly, and a recent poll by a super PAC supporting his campaign shows him at 41 percent in the Republican primary, with his next closest competitor, Blake Masters, at 6 percent.
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Donald Trump Rally” by raschau. CC BY 2.0.
