Candidates for some Maricopa County offices are rapidly amassing war chests in preparation for a pivotal and tumultuous election year, campaign finance records show.
The races for county recorder and several county supervisor seats are widely expected to be closely contested. Maricopa County has been hit by allegations of fraud after recent elections, and current officials are known nationally as targets of baseless voting conspiracies and intimidation.
Meanwhile, demographics are changing in the Valley. That could give Democrats a chance to win seats on the Board of Supervisors, which has a solid conservative majority and has long been a Republican stronghold.
So far, fundraising numbers for the most closely contested races have largely reflected the hype.
Recorder Steven Richer, who is running for re-election as a Republican, said he has raised about $200,000 in campaign contributions. That includes more than $75,000 from out-of-state donors. This total is more than Democratic challenger Timothy Stringham, who raised about $21,500.
Republican primary challenger Don Hiatt did not immediately respond to The Arizona Republic's request for comment on fundraising totals. His campaign finance reports were not immediately available on the county's news portal Wednesday.
Fundraising totals are also high in the politically purple 3rd District, where three candidates are currently vying to represent a large swath of central and north Phoenix.
Democrat Daniel Valenzuela received more than $121,000, including support from labor unions, fire departments and some corporate interests. He called his performance a “good start.”
“This is a clear demonstration of the broad support we have in our communities, from first responders to the many businesses, workers and community leaders on both sides of the aisle,” he said. said.
Republican Kate Brophy McGee reported receiving a total of about $108,000, almost entirely from individual donors in the state.
“We're just getting started,” Brophy McGee said. “I'm happy with the results.”
Her main opponent, Tabitha Lavoie, pocketed about $90,000. She said she is “working diligently” to raise an additional $50,000 in her next quarter through her fundraising events with “her friends, her colleagues, and business leaders.”
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In District 1, which includes much of the southeast Valley, Republican Jack Sellers started his campaign with about $47,000 in the bank. Sellers, an incumbent candidate, entered last year's election with nearly $20,000 already in his campaign account.
Democrat Joel Navarro raised just over $20,000. About half of that was transferred from former candidate Commissioner Joel Navarro of Tempe.
Both candidates said they would work on fundraising in the coming months.
Tom Galvin arrives with more than $115,000 in new fundraising for the deep red 2nd District, which includes parts of Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, Paradise Valley, Mesa and Gilbert. This includes about $100,000 from individuals in the state, as well as donations from businesses and real estate interests.
“We are building a strong coalition of advocates who want effective and principled leadership in our county,” he said in a statement.
His main adversary, Michel Ugenti-Rita, followed up with receipts for about $45,000. She said she has “a wealth of support and backing” from numerous Republican state legislators, U.S. Rep. David Schweikert and former attorney general candidate Abe Hamadeh, who is running for Congress. Promoted messages of support.
“Last time I checked, this was a competition to see who got the most votes,” Ugenti-Rita said. “That’s what wins races.”
How much dough do you need to win?
Most candidates were reluctant to avoid speculation about how much their race would cost in total.
Richer responded to the question with a shrug emoji. Brophy-McGee said it was “very early in the race” to say that. He had “no idea” to Galvin. Only Lavoie dared to attempt an estimate.
“We estimate that the primary election will cost between $200,000 and $250,000, and the general election will cost about the same amount,” he said.
Historical campaign finance records show that even when dollars are adjusted for inflation, fundraising numbers in competitive county supervisor and county recorder races are much higher than usual.
In 2020, Republican incumbent Bill Gates narrowly defeated Democrat Whitney Walker to represent District 3 on the Board of Supervisors. By October, he had raised about $130,000 throughout the campaign, while Walker had raised about $105,000. According to , these numbers increase slightly when adjusted for inflation to approximately $153,000 and approximately $123,000. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That's not too far from the totals that newcomers Valenzuela, Brophy McGee and Lavoie were already touting early in the race.
The difference is especially stark in the race for county recorder. In 2020, Mr. Richer raised approximately $300,000 (approximately $353,000 in today's dollars) over his campaign. His opponent, Democrat Adrian Fontes, raised about $375,000, or $441,000 adjusted for inflation.
“We have just started, but we almost matched the total for 2020,” Richer said. “We’re hopeful that we can raise more money.”
Sasha Hapka covers county government and local issues for The Arizona Republic. Do you have any advice for candidates?please contact her sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter). @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or in the thread: @sashahupkasnaps.
