Democrats won secretary of state contests in four presidential battlegrounds while making inroads in red territory, giving them election oversight authority in key states for the 2028 elections.Democratic candidates maintained control of secretary of state offices in Arizona, Michigan and Nevada, while flipping the office in Georgia, all states that have been at the center of recent campaigns for the White House.
And Democrats gained secretary of state control in the GOP-leaning states of Indiana and Ohio.In Georgia, Democrat Penny Brown Reynolds will succeed Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who drew President Donald Trump’s ire for rebuffing his push to overturn the state’s 2020 election results.
She defeated state Rep.Tim Fleming, a former aide to outgoing Republican Gov.
Brian Kemp who was endorsed by Trump.Reynolds, who is known for a family court television show and serving in the Biden administration, campaigned as a judge who would stand up to Trump while following the law in running state elections.Fleming did not go as far as other Republicans in claiming the 2020 election was stolen, but said there were “irregularities” and called for new mail voting restrictions.In Michigan, Democratic Lt.
Gov Garlin Gilchrist bested Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini, a Republican, to succeed Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who won the state’s race for governor.Gilchrist had criticized Forlini for sharing voter data with the Trump administration and hiring a Jan.
6 protester to his office.In Arizona and Nevada, incumbent Democrats Adrian Fontes and Cisco Aguilar fended off challenges from far-right Republicans whose careers were rooted in advancing election conspiracy theories, enjoying far better margins than they had in similar 2022 matchups.And in Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa’s win in the governor’s race is also expected to give the party authority over the administration of state elections.Texas’ secretary of state is appoi...