S.en. Kirsten Cinema (I-AZ) hasn’t started her 2024 reelection campaign yet, but the Democratic independent is fundraising as if she were running.

Despite her enormous clout as one of the most coveted swing voters in a tightly divided Senate, cinema’s low approval ratings in Arizona and a public split with the Democrats mean she won’t be elected in 2024. If he decides to seek a second term, Cinema’s campaign will be criticized as most voters deny the party’s identity. I will test her theory. However, it’s not yet clear if she can build enough centrist coalitions to win statewide.

Gallego ramps up attack on cinema as it considers re-election bid

Cinema declined to say if it’s still running, but that doesn’t mean it’s stopped raising money. Sinema raised his $2.1 million in the first quarter of this year and reported he had $10 million in cash on hand as of March 31, according to Federal Election Commission filings. It has been. Of the first-quarter earnings, more than half of those donations came from donors who donated his $3,300, the largest individual donation. Over 30% are from employees and senior management at top investment firms such as Blackstone, Carlyle Group and Elliott Advisors.

She also received several donations from prominent Republicans. Stephen Schwartzman of Blackstone, a major contributor to the Republican Party. Ken Mailman of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2005 to 2007; and Anthony Scaramucci, an investor who briefly served as former President Donald Trump’s Director of White House Communications and was connected to cinema on cryptocurrencies.

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) has emerged as a prominent cinema critic who began opposing the party under President Joe Biden, launching a bid to remove her seat in January and becoming a former It reported that it raised $3.7 million in the quarter. Gallego’s campaign advertised that 98% of her first quarter earnings came from donors who gave her less than $100 to compare candidates to her Cinema .

“At the end of the day, this seat won’t be bought by a few rich people on Wall Street,” Gallego said, delving into his senator colleagues. — and proud to have them in my corner. ”

Gallego’s $2.7 million cash reserve pales in comparison to Cinema’s $10 million war chest, but it stands as a formidable candidate to embark on what could be a murder-suicide pact that would give Republicans control of the Senate. Established.

Instead of staying with the party, Cinema announced in December that she had registered as an independent as Gallego continued to outperform her in the primaries. In addition to Gallego on her left, Cinema’s bewildered position has Republicans jumping at the chance to run to her right.

Kari Lake, the controversial 2022 gubernatorial candidate who still refuses to concede a loss to Governor Katie Hobbs (D-Arizona), is actively considering running. Venture unsuccessfully to challenge incumbent Senator Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) in 2022 with his capitalist Blake Masters and his firm and well-established goodwill, losing to Lake in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary. Karin Taylor, a business woman with his Robson, is also considering running. Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb is the only Republican candidate ever declared.

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Cinema came two years into her first term when Biden was sworn in as president and Democrats barely took control of the Senate with the help of Vice President Kamala Harris’s tie-breaking vote. Despite Harris voting as Senate Speaker and Vice President, the Democrats failed to secure a filibuster-proof majority and were unable to pass most of the bills through Congress.

She and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) became enemies within the party after refusing to support removing the 60-vote filibuster threshold. Their stance on the issue as Biden’s agenda stalled. Cinema, in particular, has become a boogeyman among Democrats for refusing to publicly defend its position as often as Manchin, who maintains a rigid press schedule.