muskfinchem
© APElon Musk โ€ข Mark Finchem
Self-described "Chief Twit" Elon Musk flexed his newfound Twitter powers Monday, vowing to investigate the suspension of Arizona GOP Secretary of State hopeful Mark Finchem. Within an hour, the Republican said he was reinstated and thanked Musk for taking quick action.

Finchem, who has championed election security and questioned the results of the 2020 contest, sent out an email to supporters Monday announcing his Twitter account was suspended and urging his followers to mount a pressure campaign to convince Musk to "unban" him. He wrote in an email to supporters:
"Twitter has blocked my account from speaking truth with one week left until the election. They are trying to put their thumb on the scales of this election. Tag Elon Musk and tell him to unban me right now. I am the Secretary of State nominee in a swing state running against the criminal Soros-funded candidate."
Trump-aligned lawyer Jenna Ellis took note of Finchem's plea and tagged Musk in a tweet, insisting that it was inappropriate for Finchem's account to be suspended about a week out from the midterm elections. That got Musk's attention.

"Looking into it," Musk said in reply.


It was not immediately clear why Finchem's account was suspended. The Washington Examiner reached out to Twitter for comment.

In declaring his return, Finchem thanked Musk and those who spread his statement about being suspended. "We are back! Thank you for stopping the commie who suspended me from Twitter a week before the election. Twitter is much better with you at the helm. Thank you," he said in his tweet.

Finchem, who is a state lawmaker, is facing off against Democrat Adrian Fontes for Arizona's Secretary of State post, and they are locked in a tight race.

Musk ascended to chief of Twitter last week after completing a $44 billion acquisition. Making his debut with a sink in the Twitter headquarters, Musk quickly moved to oust some of the top brass at the company, such as CEO Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal, and Vijaya Gadde, head of legal policy, trust, and safety.

Prior to his takeover, Musk had voiced frustration with Twitter's content moderation policies, suggesting the company had not been even-handed in its approach โ€” a frequent gripe among conservatives. Last week, he signaled that he may form a council to manage the company's moderation policy.