Text from article: Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, was central to Donald Trump’s reelection loss in 2020 — and to attempts by him and his allies to try to change the results. The county’s Republican-led governing board and its attorneys have faced waves of violent threats and criticism ever since. The hostile environment has caused mass resignations of election workers around the state and has contributed to the decision by two key Republicans who helped thwart attempts by Trump and his allies to reverse his loss not to run for reelection. Last year, a Texas man was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after he threatened Richer and a county lawyer. Richer, a first-term recorder who is running for reelection and has drawn challengers from the right, said that threatening language tends to inspire others. “Words matter, especially coming from people in leadership positions,” he said Thursday. “Even if you don’t mean something violent, when you use violent words, it creates a permission structure for others to go down that route.”
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