For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Contact: Hannah Goss, hgoss@azdem.org
FEC TAKEAWAYS: The (Very Few) Dollars in the #AZSen Primary
Collectively, the Weak Field Collected Just Over $2.5M in Contributions
PHOENIX — Last Friday, the GOP Senate primary candidates filed their first FEC reports of 2022. Instead of showcasing any real strength or momentum in the election year, the reports from this “decidedly weak” field of “lesser-known Republicans” revealed bruising burn rates, dwindling donations, and desperate self-loans.
See below for the top takeaways:
- All in, the field attracted a measly $2.5 million in donor support, signifying an overall lack of enthusiasm for the candidates.
- Blake Masters and Mark Brnovich both raised less this quarter than they did last quarter, casting a further embarrassing shadow over their $1.1 million and $735,000 totals, respectively.
- Jim Lamon’s increasingly desperate attempts to buy this Senate seat don’t seem to be working as Arizonans continue to avoid supporting this Utah resident. But that didn’t stop Lamon who loaned himself another $5 million last quarter.
- Mick McGuire threw a $750,000 Hail Mary to revive his struggling campaign. (In case you forgot, McGuire claims to be running for U.S. Senate.)
- Blake Masters knows he can count on $10 million from his billionaire benefactor but he’s still jealous that Lamon has been able to loan his campaign a total of $13 million.
“For months, GOP party leaders tried to coax Doug Ducey into this race because they knew this laundry list of third-rate candidates wouldn’t cut it,” said ADP spokesperson Hannah Goss. “Clearly, McConnell’s concerns were warranted — Mark Brnovich, Blake Masters, and Jim Lamon have failed to capture any real voter support, donor confidence, or party backing. Going zero for three, these flailing candidates will spend the summer scrounging for cash and struggling to breakthrough in a bruising primary, setting them up for an uphill battle come the fall.”
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