UPDATE: Trump election attorney Jenna Ellis tweeted Musk about the suspension, prompting him to respond that he was looking into it. Shortly afterwards, Finchem tweeted that he was back on the platform, thanking Musk and others who alerted him.
* * *
Just three days after tech mogul Elon Musk acquired Twitter, promising to bring free speech to the platform, the social media giant suspended Arizona secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem. The election is eight days away, and the Trump-endorsed state representative is running on a platform of combating voter fraud – a contentious topic that raises hackles on the Right and Left.
Finchem received a notice from Twitter Monday afternoon telling him, “We’ve temporarily limited some of your account features.” It went on to say, “We have determined this account violated the Twitter Rules. Specifically for:” However, there was no reason specified.
Finchem provided a screenshot of the message along with his response to Twitter in his Telegram channel, as well as on Facebook. He wrote back to the company, “They won’t say what I did wrong. Elon, this is not free speech.”
In another post on social media, Finchem stated, “Twitter has blocked my account from speaking truth with one week left until the election. They are trying to put their thumb on the scales of this election. Tag Elon Musk and tell him to unban me right now. I am the Secretary of State nominee in a swing state running against the criminal Soros-funded candidate.”
Someone in the Telegram channel responded with a comment, “Should be back up tomorrow but still….this is ridiculous! Viva Frei blocked too….”
Finchem may have been suspended for a tweet Monday expressing skepticism that President Joe Biden won Arizona in 2020. He said, “OH Predictive said Biden would win Arizona by 7%. Biden only ‘won’ by .3%. It is a Democrat-funded polling firm. Do not believe the suppression polls. Everyone must go vote!! #AZSOS #JustFollowTheLaw.”
OH Predictive said Biden would win Arizona by 7%. Biden only “won” by .3%. It is a Democrat-funded polling firm. Do not believe the suppression polls. Everyone must go vote!! #AZSOS #JustFollowTheLaw
— Mark Finchem #JustFollowTheLaw VoteFinchem.com (@RealMarkFinchem) October 31, 2022
The managing partner of Ohio Predictive Insights, Mike Noble, responded, “Mark, Facts are stubborn things. If you’re going to choose to attack my company and myself, please don’t misrepresent reality. Many thanks.”
A Rasmussen Reports poll taken immediately prior to the 2020 election showed Donald Trump winning Arizona by four points. The polling analytics site 538 rates Rasmussen Reports a “B” grade for accuracy. Ohio Predictive Insights is rated “B/C.”
There have only been a couple of polls in the race, but they’ve shown Finchem significantly ahead. In the latest poll from Ohio Predictive Insights, conducted in early September, 40 percent of likely voters chose Finchem compared to 35 percent for former Democratic former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes.
Fontes lost re-election as county recorder in 2020 after some negative articles came out about him in The Arizona Republic. He attempted to mail unsolicited ballots to Democratic primary voters that year, prompting even Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs to warn him he did not have the authority. He went ahead and did so anyway, and was stopped when Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich took him to court. That fiasco cost taxpayers over $100,000.
The Arizona Sun Times asked Finchem for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication.
– – –
Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mark Finchem” by Mark Finchem.
