How secretary of state elections became the new battleground for election deniers

Kari Estes made a 25-minute journey from her home in Festus, Missouri, to the suburbs of St. Louis County on a hot summer evening to mingle with Democratic Secretary of State candidate Barbara Phifer. Estes was among a few dozen voters who gathered for an ice cream social to hear Phifer less than a week from the state’s primary election on Aug. 6. It was her first time seeing Phifer in person — and she said she felt an air of “hopefulness” in the room that day. “What she said...