If it's Wednesday, we're live in Battleground, Arizona, a state with critical races up and down the ballot and a place that shows how completely the former president has transformed the state GOP. Welcome to a special Meet the Midterms edition of Meet the Press Now.

I'm Chuck Todd and beautiful Maricopa County, Arizona.

You see those wonderful cacti.

You know where we are.

We are also at the heart of one of our perennial battlegrounds space, states these days, electorally speaking. And it might be the most important county in the country when you're asking about, quote, swing counties. There's nothing like Maricopa. The road to winning control of Congress goes through states like Arizona. It has several competitive statewide races this

November, and it's not the only reason we're here. The state also has become the epicenter

for the election denialism movement, started by former President Trump. It swept through

the Republican Party nationwide. And here in Arizona, wow, has Donald Trump had an influence.

Republican primary voters nominated four statewide candidates who have all questioned President

Biden's electoral victory in Arizona, and not just on the margins.

They've questioned it straight up front.

Cary Lake for governor, Blake Masters for Senate, Abraham Hamadav for Attorney General,

and Mark Finchup for Secretary of State.

Several have endorsed the sham audits

of the state's 2020 results. Several have backed anti-democratic small D laws for deciding future

elections. If elected, these individuals would be in power for the 2024 presidential election

and could play key roles in certifying results in a state that could very well decide the presidency in any given

election. So these midterm candidates made it on the ballot by winning a plurality of votes in last

month's Republican primary. No majority votes here without much, save from independents.

Who are going to be perhaps the most important voting block in November's general election.

And last night, I talked to a group of independent Arizona voters, some of whom have supported

Republican candidates in the past, and they don't like what they see in this current GOP ticket.

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