Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes drops strong hint about political future

PHOENIX – Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes indicated Friday he is planning to seek reelection rather than aim for a higher office.

The Democrat had openly discussed the possibility of running for Congress or governor, but it now seems Fontes aims to extend his tenure as the state’s top elections official.

That’s because he made a post on X with a pretty clear hint about his intentions.

Fontes wrote, “I’ll make a formal campaign announcement regarding Sec of State in the days ahead but as a precursor…” along with a meme of Leonardo DeCaprio from “The Wolf of Wall Street” with his arms outstretched and the words “I’m not leaving.”

I’ll make a formal campaign announcement regarding Sec of State in the days ahead but as a precursor… pic.twitter.com/rOYVlkaSgi

— Adrian Fontes (@Adrian_Fontes) March 28, 2025

Secretary of State Adrian Fontes discussed governor’s seat last week

Last week, Fontes acknowledged he was considering the possibility of challenging Gov. Katie Hobbs in the 2026 Democratic primary.

“Let’s be honest: Politicians are ambitious people. I’m a politician. I’m an ambitious person. You know, there’s no reason to lie about it and play coy,” he told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on March 19.

It would have been particularly noteworthy if he ran for governor because incumbents rarely face primary challenges from high-profile opponents.

Earlier this week, Fontes scratched Congress off his job search list.

After U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva’s funeral on Wednesday, Fontes announced that he will not enter the upcoming special election for the southern Arizona Democratic stalwart’s seat.

“After careful thought and reflection, I have decided for family, for country and for democracy, I will continue to defend America as Arizona’s Secretary of State,” he said in a statement.

A special primary election for Grijalva’s seat will take place on July 15. It will be followed by a general election on Sept. 23.

As of Friday, 25 people had filed statements of interest for the primary, including 12 Democrats, 10 Republicans, two Libertarians and one Green Party member.

Statements of interest are not official entries into the race, but they must be filed before a candidate can start collecting nomination petition signatures. The deadline to turn in petitions is April 14.

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