Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer came to the Memorial Union Monday night to talk to ASU College Republicans and other attendees about his run for office last November, the challenges associated with the 2020 election and the impact that Maricopa County elections have on statewide races.
This was College Republicans' first in-person event of any kind since last February, said College Republicans President Joe Pitts.
"When we are able to do something like that, we are able to incorporate people who might be out of state at the moment, members who are out of state, members who don't feel safe going around campus with COVID around," Pitts, a sophomore studying business, said.
Photos from the event show around 15 people attending in-person, with at least six more attending the event over Zoom.
"I think it's really good to help us as we try to grow our name on campus," Pitts said. "Actually being able to speak to someone face-to-face ... you have a much better opportunity to speak with someone than if it were just online."
Having the event in-person was not an easy task, he said.
"You wouldn't believe the paperwork I have to go through to make sure that we have all our ducks in a row," Pitts said. "We are able to socialize with people more while staying safe."
Despite the paperwork, members of College Republicans were excited to bring Richer to campus.
"Stephen's a great guy, he's a great friend," Pitts said. "He's someone who's very charismatic and someone who I think embodies what kind of politicians Republicans need to run in the future."
College Republicans Vice President Clay Robinson, a sophomore studying economics and civic and economic thought and leadership, said he thinks the event went well.
"We're extremely thankful that recorder Richer was able to make it out and give such a great presentation, and we're happy about a lot of students (being) able to make it," Robinson said.
The Maricopa County Recorder's office has many responsibilities, including keeping public records such as land deeds and voter registration. But what the office is most known for is administering elections.
Richer won the Maricopa County Recorder race in November against then-incumbent Adrian Fontes.
READ MORE: Candidates in Maricopa County races
"I think my opponent should have beaten me," Richer said at the event. "I would be pretty disappointed if I were he."
Richer got involved with Arizona politics and specifically the recorder's office position after working with the Arizona GOP following an an elections report he wrote after the 2018 election.
"One thing lead to another and they said, 'Hey, have you thought about running for this office?'" Richer said. "I decided to launch a county-wide campaign against an incumbent Democrat."
Running for the recorder's office came with its own set of challenges in 2020, he said.
"It's like you were running for dog-catcher. And then a rabies epidemic broke out," Richer said.
One of these challenges included Maricopa County's results taking longer to roll in on election night than other results, Richer said.
Voting in Maricopa County has a large impact on the rest of the state, as it is the second largest voting jurisdiction in the country and represents more than 60% of Arizona's registered voters.
With Arizona being a state known for its highly contested elections, people tend to pay more attention, Richer said.
Yet, Maricopa and Arizona also have other factors that make them take longer to count the votes, including the robust vote by-mail and early voter systems.
"Increasingly, we are just an an early vote state," Richer said.
Richer said Maricopa County will have a lot of sway in important upcoming elections, such as the gubernatorial, attorney general and U.S. Senate elections.
"I think whoever wins Maricopa County and all those races will win the statewide race," Richer said.
However, Richer is not confident that this will be in the favor of the Republican Party.
"I'm not optimistic right now," Richer said. "Right now the Arizona Republican Party and Republicans seem to be having fun playing circular firing squad."
On Jan. 23, the Arizona GOP voted to censure some of the state's top Republicans — Gov. Doug Ducey, former Sen. Jeff Flake and Cindy McCain — reflecting a growing schism within the Republican Party.
"It seems like most of the disputes and disagreements and name-calling that I see is between Arizona Republicans," Richer said. "I don't think that's the ultimate formula for electoral success."
Reach the reporter at mcfisch4@asu.edu and follow @morgfisch on Twitter.
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Morgan Fischer is the politics editor, she works with her desk to cover topics related to politics in the ASU community. She has previously worked as an intern for RightThisMinute.
