Arizona's secretary of state races are typically sleepy campaigns, but this year's contest will seize the national spotlight when the two major party contenders clash in their first debate on Thursday.
That's because Republican candidate Mark Finchem is one of the most prominent election deniers on the ballot this fall, who has long engaged in conspiracy theories to promote former President Donald Trump's false claims about the 2020 election.
Finchem easily won the crowded GOP primary in August as part of a Trump-backed coalition of secretary of state candidates who've spread the former president's election lies while running to oversee elections in vital swing states.
But now Finchem is facing Democrat Adrian Fontes, who hasn't shied away from calling out his GOP opponent's past comments and actions.
In Fontes's first general election ad, which dropped last Friday, he referred to Finchem as a "dangerous extremist" who would "overturn legitimate election results."
The debate Thursday offers up the first major debate event of the general election to feature an election denier in a year where Democrats and Republicans have clashed over voting rights; election rule changes; and the Jan. 6, 2021 riot hearings that dominated the summer.
Here's what to know.
Finchem and Fontes are scheduled to participate in a discussion hosted by the PBS affiliate in Arizona and the Citizens Clean Elections Commission.
The debate is set for 8...
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