A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as the Secretary of State of Arizona since 2023,[4] after defeating Republican nominee Mark Finchem in 2022.

[11] When he returned, he attended the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver and graduated in 2000 with a Juris Doctor degree.

[14] Fontes announced his candidacy the day after Maricopa County's 2016 presidential preference election, which was perceived by some as having been mismanaged by Purcell due to the reduction in the number of polling places in the county, causing long lines that stretched for blocks and left some voters waiting for hours.

[9] While the ballots were being counted in the Maricopa County Recorder's Office, protesters gathered outside over the course of several days, including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

[9] Due to the unrest Maricopa County Recorder's Office, Fontes and his family packed "go-bags" in case they needed to leave their home on short notice, found back-up housing, and his children evacuated for several days.

[9] After the 2020 election, Fontes joined Pima County Recorder-elect Gabriella Cázares-Kelly's transition team as an interim chief deputy recorder after losing his re-election.

[27] Fontes faced Republican party nominee, Arizona Representative Mark Finchem in the general election.