America First Secretary of State Coalition
2022 American right-wing political coalition
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The America First Secretary of State Coalition ("America First SOS Coalition") was an American right-wing 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, the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Secretary of State of Nevada, and was headquartered in Las Vegas.[1][2]
| |
| Abbreviation | America First SOS Coalition |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Supporting candidates in the 2022 United States secretary of state elections |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas, Nevada |
President | Jim Marchant |
The coalition endorsed 14 candidates for state secretary of state, as well as Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano,[3] Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, and Ohio congressional candidate Dante Sabatucci. The coalition was financially supported by the affiliated Conservatives for Election Integrity PAC (CFEI PAC).[4][5] Out of the 17 total candidates the coalition endorsed, only 7 candidates advanced past the Republican Party primaries, and just one candidate, Diego Morales, was elected in the 2022 elections.[6]
History and foundation
The existence of the coalition was first disclosed by Marchant during a conversation on Steve Bannon's podcast, War Room.[7] Marchant had been described as the leading organizer of the coalition.[8][9]
The coalition reportedly formed following a meeting in May 2021 involving Marchant, QAnon conspiracy theorist Wayne Willott, and other conservative activists and fundraisers.[10] Mike Lindell, founder and CEO of My Pillow, Inc., was reportedly a backer of the coalition.[11]
Initial candidates supported by the coalition included Mark Finchem (Arizona), Kristina Karamo (Michigan), and Jody Hice (Georgia), each of whom had been endorsed by former President Donald Trump.[12] As of February 2022, Marchant was working to recruit candidates running for secretary of state in both Wisconsin and Minnesota.[13]
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 PAC has raised $110,000 as of May 2022. The America Project, founded by former Overstock.com CEO Patrick M. Byrne, was a prominent contributor to the PAC.[4]
Policy goals and support
According to The New York Times, the coalition supported eliminating alleged voter fraud 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."[14]
Candidates
The following is a list of candidates from the America First SOS website.[15] The only candidate who won a general election was Secretary of State of Indiana Diego Morales.
| Candidate | State | Primary date | Primary result | General result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audrey Trujillo |  New Mexico |
June 7, 2022[3][a] |  Nominated |
 Lost[16] |
| Doug Mastriano |  Pennsylvania (Governor) |
May 17, 2022[17] | Nominated |
Lost[18] |
| Kristina Karamo |  Michigan |
April 9, 2022[19][b] | Nominated |
Lost[20] |
| Mark Finchem |  Arizona |
August 3, 2022[21] | Nominated |
Lost[22] |
| Michael Brown |  Kansas |
August 2, 2022[23] | Lost primary |
Lost primary[24] |
| Tina Peters |  Colorado |
June 28, 2022[25] | Lost primary |
Lost primary[26] |
| Jim Zeigler |  Alabama |
June 21, 2022[27][c] | Lost runoff |
Lost primary[28] |
| Diego Morales |  Indiana |
June 18, 2022[29][d] | Nominated |
Won[30] |
| Jim Marchant |  Nevada |
June 14, 2022[31] | Nominated |
Lost[32] |
| Keith Blanford |  South Carolina |
June 14, 2022[33] | Lost primary |
Lost primary[34] |
| Rachel Hamm |  California |
June 7, 2022[35] | Lost primary |
Lost primary[36] |
| Jody Hice |  Georgia |
May 24, 2022[37] | Lost primary |
Lost primary[38] |
| Dorothy Moon |  Idaho |
May 17, 2022[39] | Lost primary |
Lost primary[40] |
| Robert Borer |  Nebraska |
May 10, 2022[41] | Lost primary |
Lost primary[42] |
| Jay Schroeder |  Wisconsin |
August 9, 2022[43] | Lost primary |
Lost primary[44] |
| Dante Sabatucci |  Ohio (13th congressional district) |
May 3, 2022[45] | Lost primary |
Lost primary[46] |
| Kari Lake | Arizona (Governor) |
August 2, 2022[47] | Nominated |
Lost[48] |