Former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who was ousted in the Republican primary election last year due to his hostility to election integrity, has moved on to progressive causes since announcing he was voting for Joe Biden for president last year.
He is now a board member for State Democracy Defenders (SDD), the group started by former Obama administration diplomat and longtime Democratic operative Norm Eisen, considered the architect of the lawsuits this year against the new Trump administration. SDD, which consists of both State Democracy Defenders Fund and State Democracy Defenders Action, provides funding to leading progressive election attorney Marc Elias and his lawsuits and is funded itself by progressive billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Action Fund.
Elias frequently filed lawsuits in Arizona attempting to halt election integrity measures and intervened to defend progressive interests in election lawsuits.
Eisen has recently been criticized by X owner Elon Musk and leading Republican officials due to his lawsuits against the Trump administration. He also co-founded Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which “was once led by Clinton operative David Brock and is an approved funding group of the Democracy Alliance, which helps guide donations from wealthy liberals to anti-Republican activist organizations,” according to The Washington Free Beacon. Eisen served as special counsel to congressional Democrats in their impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.
Influence Watch described SDD as a “left-of-center nonprofit … most of its activity is centered around filing amicus briefs in 2024 election-related court cases and placing op-eds in media outlets.”
SDD’s description states, “Our all-star team goes on offense against democracy deniers who break the law, including through our innovative program of outside public support for criminal prosecutions.” Their work includes filing an amicus brief on behalf of former members of Congress, including Adam Kinzinger, opposing efforts to remove non-citizens from voter rolls in Virginia and rejecting mail-in ballots with envelope errors, including a lack of signature, in Pennsylvania.
The board also includes Bill Kristol, who left the Republican Party in 2021 to become an independent, founded Defending Democracy Together, and supports the Never Trump movement.
Richer (pictured above) was listed as a speaker for the next Principles First Summit, which takes place this week in Washington D.C. as an “alternative to CPAC” and features Eisen and Kristol. Most speakers are progressives or Republicans who identify with progressive viewpoints, like former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Kinzinger. Progressive billionaire Mark Cuban is the keynote speaker. Other speakers include Kyle Sweetser of Republican Voters Against Trump, and Rich Logis, the executive director of Leaving MAGA.
Mesa City Council Julie Spilsbury, who is also a speaker, is currently the target of a recall effort due to her endorsing Kamala Harris and supporting Democratic positions.
One of the sessions, “The Thin Blue Line and the Big Lie,” features Capitol Police officers known for their criticism of the January 6 protesters. However, most of the session topics are hidden, merely titled “Keynote Conversation” or similar. Richer is speaking on one of those panels with Kinzinger.
Participating organizations include Protect Democracy, Ranked Choice Voting Maryland, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and the Welcome Democracy Institute. Despite the clear left-leaning agenda, the organization’s About Us page claims it represents “principled Americans on the right and center-right.”
Earlier this month, Richer joined the Ash Center of Democratic Governance and Innovation (ACDGI) at the Harvard Kennedy School as part of its Reimagining Democracy program. The announcement said that Richer had previously worked with ACDGI. Its mission statement is “to develop ideas and foster practices for equal and inclusive, multi-racial and multi-ethnic democracy and self-government.” Tim Glynn-Burke, executive director of ACDGI, said regarding Richer’s new position, “Stephen is someone with courage. He stood firm in the face of threats and championed the integrity of an essential democratic process.”
Richer angered conservatives soon after he took office in 2021 by starting a PAC for GOP fraud deniers. The Executive Guidance Committee of the Maricopa County Republican Committee issued a resolution in 2022 censuring him for his hostility to election integrity.
Last year, Richer joined a new group critical of conservatives named Conservative Agenda for Arizona (CAA). Much of the leadership of CAA is tied to the late Senator John McCain, is critical of Trump, and some support Democrats.
Richer settled a defamation lawsuit he’d filed last fall against Kari Lake for stating that he had intentionally sabotaged the 2022 election. The Project Democracy Project paid for his lawsuit. Far-left journalist Stephen Lemons of Phoenix New Times, who has written countless articles attacking Lake, said the settlement was not likely a victory for Richer. He quoted First Amendment lawyer Marc Randazza, who told him, “If you asked me to gamble on what actually happened in this case, I wouldn’t put five bucks up that says money changed hands in either direction,” admitting Richer’s lawsuit was a failure.
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter / X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Stephen Richer” by Stephen Richer. Background Photo “Voting Booths” by Lorie Shaull. CC BY 2.0.
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