The America First Secretary of State Coalition ("America First SOS Coalition") was an American

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

coalition formed to support a slate of candidates in the 2022 United States secretary of state elections who supported former president Donald Trump's baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen. The coalition's president was

Jim Marchant James Carl Marchant Jr. (born May 28, 1956) is an American politician in Nevada. A member of the Republican Party, he represented the 37th district in the Nevada Assembly, covering parts of the northwestern Las Vegas Valley, from 2016 to 2018. A ...

, the unsuccessful Republican

nominee A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

for

Secretary of State of Nevada The Secretary of State of Nevada is a statewide elected office in the State of Nevada. The Secretary of state (U.S. state government), secretary of state post is common to many U.S. states. In Nevada, it is a constitutional office (i.e., it is man ...

, and was headquartered in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. The coalition endorsed 14 candidates for state secretary of state, as well as Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate

Doug Mastriano Douglas Vincent Mastriano (born January 2, 1964) is an American far-right politician and retired military officer who has served in the Pennsylvania Senate since 2019, representing the 33rd district. A member of the Republican Party, he was ...

, Arizona gubernatorial candidate

Kari Lake Kari Ann Lake ( ; born August 23, 1969) is an American former television news anchor who was the Republican nominee in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election. Beginning her media career in the early 1990s, Lake was the anchor for the Phoeni ...

, and Ohio congressional candidate Dante Sabatucci. The coalition was financially supported by the affiliated Conservatives for Election Integrity PAC (CFEI PAC). Out of the 17 total candidates the coalition endorsed, only 7 candidates advanced past the Republican Party primaries, and only one candidate, Diego Morales, was elected in the 2022 elections.

History and foundation

The existence of the coalition was first disclosed by Marchant during a conversation on

Steve Bannon Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist in the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump during t ...

's podcast, ''War Room''. Marchant had been described as the leading organizer of the coalition. The coalition reportedly formed following a meeting in May 2021 involving Marchant,

QAnon QAnon ( , ) is an American political conspiracy theory and political movement. It originated in the American far-right political sphere in 2017. QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals known as "Q". ...

conspiracy theorist Wayne Willott, and other conservative activists and fundraisers.

Mike Lindell Michael James Lindell (born June 28, 1961), also known as the My Pillow Guy, is an American businessman, political activist, and conspiracy theorist. He is the founder and CEO of My Pillow, Inc., a pillow, bedding, and slipper manufacturing ...

, founder and CEO of My Pillow, Inc., was reportedly a backer of the coalition. Initial candidates supported by the coalition included

Mark Finchem Mark William Finchem (born April 24, 1957) is an American far-right politician who served as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 11 from 2015 to 2023. He is the Arizona coordinator for the Coalition of Weste ...

(

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Kristina Karamo Kristina Karamo is an American far-right politician and former poll watcher who is serving as the chairperson of the Michigan Republican Party. Karamo was the Republican Party's nominee in the 2022 Michigan Secretary of State election, losing by ...

(

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

), and Jody Hice (

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

), each of whom had been endorsed by former President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. As of February 2022, Marchant was working to recruit candidates running for secretary of state in both

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Conservatives for Election Integrity PAC (CFEI PAC)

An affiliated political action committee (PAC), the Conservatives for Election Integrity PAC (CFEI PAC), was founded by Marchant with the goal of fundraising for candidates for secretary of state. According to the

Brennan Center The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is a nonprofit law and public policy institute. The organization is named after Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Generally considered liberal, the Brennan C ...

, the PAC has raised $110,000 as of May 2022. The America Project, founded by former

Overstock.com Overstock.com, Inc. is an American internet retailer selling primarily furniture headquartered in Midvale, Utah, near Salt Lake City. Businessman Patrick M. Byrne founded Overstock.com in 1999. The company initially sold exclusively surplus and ...

CEO Patrick M. Byrne, was a prominent contributor to the PAC.

Policy goals and support

According to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', the coalition supported eliminating alleged

voter fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...

through "eliminating mail-in ballots, requiring single-day voting and committing to 'aggressive voter roll cleanup,' measures that critics had suggested would suppress thousands of Democratic votes."

Candidates

The following is a list of candidates from the America First SOS website. {, class="wikitable sortable" ! bgcolor="teal" , Candidate ! bgcolor="teal" , State ! bgcolor="teal" , Primary date !Primary result !General result , - , Audrey Trujillo ,

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, , Nominated , Lost , - ,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

(Governor) , ' , Nominated , Lost , - ,

, , Nominated , Lost , - ,

, , Nominated , Lost , - , Michael Brown ,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, , Lost primary , Lost primary , - , Tina Peters ,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, , Lost primary , Lost primary , - , Jim Zeigler ,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, June 21, 2022 , Lost runoff , Lost primary , - , Diego Morales ,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, , Nominated , Won , - ,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, June 14, 2022 , Nominated , Lost , - , Keith Blanford ,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, '''' , Lost primary , Lost primary , - , Rachel Hamm ,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, '''' , Lost primary , Lost primary , - , Jody Hice ,

, , Lost primary , Lost primary , - ,

Dorothy Moon Dorothy Moon is an American Radical right (United States), far-rightDavid Smith'Republican and more Republican': Idaho shifts ever rightward ''The Guardian'' (May 11, 2022): "elections for other offices of state are more competitive between the ha ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

, , Lost primary , Lost primary , - , Robert Borer ,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, , Lost primary , Lost primary , - , Jay Schroeder ,

, , Lost primary , Lost primary , - , Dante Sabatucci ,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

( 13th congressional district) , , Lost primary , Lost primary , - ,

(Governor) , , Nominated , Lost{{Cite web , last=Singh , first=Maanvi , date=November 14, 2022 , title=Katie Hobbs defeats election denier Kari Lake in Arizona governor race {{! US midterm elections 2022 {{! The Guardian , url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/14/katie-hobbs-wins-arizona-governor-midterms-democrat , url-status=live , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115083505/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/14/katie-hobbs-wins-arizona-governor-midterms-democrat , archive-date=November 15, 2022 , access-date=December 1, 2022 , website=

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

, quote=The Democratic candidate for governor in Arizona, Katie Hobbs, has defeated her far-right, Trump-endorsed opponent, staving off a major threat to voting rights in the state. Hobbs, who is Arizona’s outgoing secretary of state, defeated Kari Lake...

Notes

References