WASHINGTON – Senator Kristen Cinema (Irish, Arizona) is throwing money at the mouth in her re-election race, which she has yet to say whether she will run.

Cinema reportedly raised more than $1.6 million in the last quarter, with just under $10.8 million in cash on hand, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.

That’s half as fast as fundraising by Democratic Phoenix Rep. Ruben Gallego, who reported $3.1 million last quarter and $6.8 million total for the year. While he’s raising more money, he’s also spending more, with his Gallego holding $3.8 million as of June 30.

Pinal County Sheriff, the only candidate to report to the FEC Mark Lamb He fell far behind the other two. Lamb, who is seeking the Republican nomination, raised $607,722 in the quarter and reported he had $335,337 on hand.

Gallego won’t face Cinema, who left the Democratic Party in December to become an independent, in the primary, but analysts point to different funding sources for Gallego so far.

Gallego reported Of his total, $3.8 million came from donors under $200, with an average donation of $29, according to his campaign.

in contrast, cinema said $1.4 million came from small donors, while $6.8 million came in the form of donations of $2,000 or more. Her largest donation came from her own political action committee, the Cinema Leadership Fund, which totaled over $1 million.

Related article

“With two-quarters momentum and a strong grassroots support base, we are the only team built to win this race,” Gallego campaign manager Nicole Johnson said in a statement.

Arizona political campaign strategist Rod McLeod believes Gallego’s focus on grassroots giving puts it in a strong position against independent incumbents.

“I think Senator Gallego has proven that he’s had two successful fundraising terms in a row,” McLeod said. “And I think what we’ve seen from Senator Cinema is that there is absolutely no grassroots fundraising base for her.”

Inside Elections reporter and analyst Erin Covey sees the second quarter for cinema as: Number of donations No indication is given of her intentions to run. Even without her officially participating in the race, her total keeps her competitive.

“I really don’t think it was enough to underscore the possibility that she was more inclined to run for re-election, but it wasn’t low enough to fuel more retirement rumors,” Covey said.

Sean Noble, a political consultant at Compass Strategies, said Cinema’s current advantage is the amount of money it has available.

“Gallego has outperformed her in a quarterly sense for the last two quarters, but she’s also spent a lot of money to get that funding,” Noble said. “I mean, his burn rate is pretty high, and her burn rate isn’t.”

Gallego campaign The company spent more than $2 million each in the first two quarters, according to his FEC filing. High burn rates may be required. While Cinema has a high profile as an incumbent, Covey said Gallego will need to invest to establish itself statewide.

“Now is the perfect time for him to introduce himself to voters and get his message out there before he actually faces some serious negative advertising,” she said.

Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, in a 2018 file photo, raised more than $600,000 in the last quarter to run for the 2024 Republican Senate nomination from Arizona. (File photo credit: Vandana Ravikumar/Cronkite News)

A Cinema spokesperson said the second-term senator is currently not focused on campaigning.

“Kirsten promised Arizona people that she would be an independent senator who will provide lasting solutions to the people of Arizona, and she has done just that. She remains focused on solving challenges that Arizona people face on a daily basis, rather than campaigning,” a spokeswoman said in an email.

If cinema enters three-way race Next fall, he will be the first candidate among the three main candidates. However, it is not clear if Mr. Lam will become the Republican nominee.

Rumors continue to circulate that unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake could run in the Republican primary. McLeod thinks his own candidacy is “likely” but ultimately sees former President Donald Trump’s nomination for vice president.

“It’s totally unclear how everything will play out,” McLeod said.

Noble said Lamb fundraiser said it was “not a strong start” and that “lacky and flat fundraising” bodes well for Gallego.

“If Lam doesn’t find a way to actually raise money, other people will take the race seriously,” Noble said. “It could be Lake Kari, it could be another lake. I don’t think it’s resolved at all.”

Covey thinks Arizona will get a lot of attention in the coming months, no matter who the nominee is, but not as much as Ohio or West Virginia.

“I think Arizona is definitely on the second tier. Depending on what the senators do, and which Republicans end up running, this could definitely be one of the most competitive races in the country,” Covey said.