Gina Swoboda formally announces run for Arizona secretary of state

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Former Arizona GOP Chair Gina Swoboda will run for secretary of state in the upcoming 2026 primary election, she announced on Thursday morning.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after she filed a statement of interest in the race.

Her decision sets up a primary fight with state Rep. Alex Kolodin for the Republican nomination.

Swoboda is making it clear that she doesn’t believe Kolodin has what it takes to win the general election against the incumbent Democrat Adrian Fontes.

Swoboda announced last October that she would seek the Republican Party’s nomination in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, which was left open after current Rep. David Schweikert announced he was running for governor.

Now, four months later, she’s pivoting to run for secretary of state.

While she had President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the Congressional race, she will reportedly be without it in the secretary of state race. “I’m running as Gina with no endorsement because I think that’s what the people of Arizona want,” she told Arizona’s Family.

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