Fontes Rejects ‘Cartel Lawyer’ Label in AZ SOS Debate Clash With Kolodin

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes warned Republican challenger Alex Kolodin of a “personal problem” during their Sept. 30 debate after Kolodin repeatedly invoked Fontes’ past criminal-defense work and called him a cartel lawyer.

The exchange brought renewed attention to Fontes’ representation of defendants in federal weapons cases, including a suspect connected to Operation Fast and Furious. During the debate, Kolodin paired those attacks with criticism of Fontes’ election administration and proposals for voter verification, identification requirements and faster ballot counting. Arizona’s Family reported the confrontation during the candidates’ second debate in Scottsdale. 

“We’re going to have a personal problem,” Fontes told Kolodin, rejecting the cartel characterization and accusing his opponent of deliberately provoking him.

“That kind of baiting is unnecessary. It’s unprofessional,” Fontes continued. Moments later, he asked, “What do you want me to do? Sit here and just take it?” A moderator then directed the candidates back to the issues, according to the debate transcript.

"And if you say Sinaloa Cartel lawyer one more time, we're going to have a personal problem Mr. Kolodin."

Incumbent Adrian Fontes stated he does not represent nor will he ever represent the Sinaloa Drug Cartel after challenger Alex Kolodin accused him multiple times of being the… pic.twitter.com/IIuxwdhz2E

— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) October 1, 2026

Fontes’ earlier legal work drew national coverage during his tenure as Maricopa County recorder. Breitbart reported in November 2018 that he represented Manuel Celis-Acosta in 2011 following his arrest in the Fast and Furious investigation. Celis-Acosta was accused of involvement in purchasing firearms for trafficking to Mexico.

The same report identified another client, Emilia Palomina-Robles, who faced charges involving an attempt to purchase a Stinger missile and other military weapons for a Mexican drug cartel. Those representations formed the background to Kolodin’s criticism. 

Fontes denied representing the Sinaloa Cartel itself. In an earlier exchange during the debate, he described his work as an assignment defending constitutional protections in federal court.

Later, defending the rights of criminal defendants, Fontes said, “Maybe those folks did bad things, but they deserve the same constitutional rights as everybody else does.”

Kolodin repeatedly returned to election administration, including the accuracy of voter rolls and the treatment of early ballots brought to polling locations. Asked about voting by mail, he said Arizonans preferred different methods and pointed to his legislative work on ballot processing.

“I’ve tried to make every single method of voting work better for the people of Arizona,” Kolodin said during the mail-voting portion of the debate.

Holy schnikes

Kolodin absolutely destroyed Fontes tonight

One guy has a record of success the other guy is an embarrassment and a disaster pic.twitter.com/hbLUJkDseY

— Tyler Bowyer (@tylerbowyer) October 1, 2026

The candidates also disputed Proposition 144, which Kolodin sponsored in the Legislature. He argued that the measure would improve voting and speed results. Fontes maintained that its identification requirements would jeopardize voting by mail, The Center Square reported. 

Under the proposed constitutional amendment, every voter would have to show valid government-issued proof of identity before casting a ballot, including through methods other than in-person voting. Implementation would be prescribed by law.

The measure would also give voters an Election Day option to have their ballots tabulated at their voting locations. Its provisions would apply to elections beginning Jan. 1, 2028. The text does not expressly prohibit mail voting or specify the procedure mail voters would use to provide identification.

On voter verification, Kolodin said he would seek to license the federal SAVE system while keeping Arizona’s voter information within the state. Fontes defended his refusal to provide unredacted voter-registration information to the federal government, citing privacy restrictions. The Center Square’s account detailed the candidates’ competing positions. 

Fontes also challenged Kolodin’s professional record, citing disciplinary action arising from litigation over the 2020 election. KAWC reported that Kolodin received 18 months of probation in 2023 related to his participation in three unsuccessful election lawsuits. 

The candidates’ disagreement over counting speed continued through the debate’s discussion of election results. Fontes acknowledged that legislative changes and county investments had accelerated reporting, while arguing that close contests could still prevent final results on election night.

The debate follows disputes over voter information previously covered by the Globe. In September, Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap accused Fontes’ office of failing to provide current federal felony-conviction records, saying the latest report his office received covered the second quarter of 2025 and alleging additional gaps dating to 2022. The Globe also reported that U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine rejected concerns raised by Fontes and Attorney General Kris Mayes about federal use of subpoenaed voter information and offered to work directly with Fontes on reviewing voter rolls. 

Kolodin closed by promising faster results and protection for voters regardless of party.

“That is my promise to you, Arizona, that with me as Secretary of State, you will see our elections go from a national embarrassment to a national model,” he said in his closing statement.