Alexander Kolodin eyes Arizona secretary of state post: Early life, family, legal career and key election priorities

As a Republican candidate challenging Democratic incumbent Adrian Fontes for Arizona secretary of state, Alexander Kolodin has made election security and voting procedures central to his campaign. He won the Republican primary with around 59.8% of the vote, defeating former Arizona Republican Party Chair Gina Swoboda, who received around 40.2%. If elected, he will become Arizona's chief election officer.

Before entering politics, Kolodin had practised election law in Arizona for more than a decade. In 2014, he fought for the public's right to access election data stored on central count computers. According to his campaign, he also challenged instructions issued to Maricopa County voters who voted by mail in 2020 and filed a lawsuit against Adrian Fontes in 2024, alleging that Arizona was not complying with federal voter registration requirements under the National Voter Registration Act. Kolodin later entered the state legislature and was elected to represent Arizona's 3rd Legislative District in 2022, taking office in January 2023.

Kolodin's background and family

Alexander Kolodin was born in Chandler, Arizona. When he was four, his family moved from New York to Scottsdale, where his father took a job in the hotel industry. His mother worked as a teacher at a private school in Chandler. He graduated from Chandler High School and later earned a degree with honors from Georgetown University. After college, Kolodin returned to Arizona and taught English and civics to seventh and eighth grade students. He subsequently attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he earned his law degree. During law school, he served as a Reagan Fellow at the Goldwater Institute's Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation. He later founded his own law practice, the Kolodin Law Group.

Kolodin lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife and their two children. He met his wife, a University of Arizona graduate, while he was attending law school and serving as a Reagan Fellow at the Goldwater Institute.

Political priorities and record

Kolodin's campaign heavily focuses on election security, voter choice and public confidence in election results. According to his campaign website, he plans to strengthen election systems, ensure every legal vote is counted accurately and make election results available faster without compromising accuracy. Furthermore, he promised greater transparency and accountability in the secretary of state's office, saying election administration should reflect voters' choices without partisan interference.

As a state representative, he has served on committees dealing with elections, the judiciary, public safety and regulatory oversight. In February 2026, the Arizona House passed House Bill 2022, an election related bill that he sponsored. He addressed the election calendar, ballot signature correction deadlines and access for authorized party representatives observing voting activities.

Kolodin's other key priorities

Kolodin has linked citizenship verification to election security and has backed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which requires documentary proof of US citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. He has also said that he would require county recorders to check Arizona's voter rolls against the federal SAVE database to identify US noncitizens. He argues that the measure would help ensure that only eligible US citizens appear on voter rolls. He has framed this issue as a direct point of disagreement with his political opponents.

As a small business owner himself, Kolodin has highlighted his legislative work on issues affecting Arizona communities. In 2023, he urged legislation to help Rio Verde Foothills residents regain temporary water access after Scottsdale stopped delivering water to the community. This allowed water service to continue while a more permanent solution was found. Kolodin has also linked water security to Arizona's economic future, arguing that it is necessary for affordable housing, agriculture and industries that provide jobs.

Kolodin's controversies and conflicts

In August 2026, a 2020 police bodycam footage involving Kolodin became public. Scottsdale police handcuffed him after stopping a vehicle in which he was a passenger. Officers later found a can of Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Raspberry Rosé near the scene and issued Kolodin a ticket for criminal littering. Kolodin denied throwing a drink container, claiming he had thrown ice out of the vehicle. He was not criminally charged in connection with the incident.

In December 2023, Kolodin was reprimanded by the State Bar of Arizona and placed on 18 months of probation over his role in lawsuits challenging the 2020 election results and a separate defamation case against a Democratic lawmaker. As part of the disciplinary action, he agreed to complete legal education courses on professional ethics. The defamation case was dismissed after a judge ruled that it had been filed primarily to harass the lawmaker.

Furthermore, Kolodin was in the news due to his conflict with his Democratic incumbent, Adrian Fontes. During his 2026 campaign, Kolodin repeatedly brought up a case involving an alleged member of the Sinaloa drug cartel while debating Fontes. Fontes pushed back against the remarks, saying "if you say Sinaloa cartel lawyer one more time, we're going to have a personal problem, Mr. Kolodin".

Kolodin's finances and more

As a member of the Arizona House of Representatives, Kolodin earns an annual base salary of $24,000. His campaign finance report for the period from April 1 to June 30, 2026, shows that his campaign committee reported $398,184.76 in total income and $131,976.82 in total expenditures to date. However, there is no publicly verified information regarding his personal income.

As the 2026 election approaches, Kolodin is seeking to become Arizona's next secretary of state with election laws and voting procedures at the center of his campaign. His legal background, record in the state legislature and past involvement in election related lawsuits have also drawn attention as he faces incumbent Adrian Fontes.