Several liberal-leaning news outlets expressed joy over supposed Republican support of Democrat Tim Stringham over Republican Justin Heap in the race for Maricopa County County Recorder. As it turns out, two of the three so-called Republicans are low-level staffers, including one from Sen. John McCain days and one Mesa City Council member. The third is a local business owner – hardly a coup. Heap received national attention by ousting Never-Trump Republican Stephen Richer with a six-point trouncing in the Arizona primary held in July 2024.

Heap, who currently serves in the Arizona House (R-1o), was a vocal backer of Donald Trump and was rewarded with widespread MAGA support. Heap has been a prolific member of the house, sponsoring 90 bills and resolutions and vice-chairing the House Ways and Means and House Election committees. He has a unique background, having served both as a prosecutor and a civil liberties attorney before being elected to state office.

Heap is running against Democrat Tim Strigham for Recorder of Maricopa County, the largest county in the state. Stringham has been described as a more conservative Democrat, although he has no previous political experience. An August poll conducted by The Center Square shows Stringham holding a very slight lead within the poll’s margin of error. There are no more recent polls, but most agree that the race has tightened considerably.

Heap has the support of a number of State conservative leaders, including Kari Lake, who posted to Heap’s campaign website, “We must return integrity to our elections in Arizona. To do that, we need to restore integrity to the office that counts 63% of our state’s votes. Justin Heap isn’t interested in TV appearances, Twitter feuds, and putting his foot on the scales of individual races. He wants to rebuild voter trust and do the job. I’m proud to endorse Justin Heap to be our next Maricopa County Recorder.”