The best fundraiser in Congressional District 2 continues to be Republican Congresswoman Martha McSally even though she formally dropped out of the race in the second week of January to run for Senate.
In the last quarter of 2017, McSally continued her streak of raking in more cash than her now former Democratic rivals by taking in $1.08 million, filings with the Federal Election Commission revealed. She had a total of $1.8 million in her campaign at the end of the year.
By comparison, the total amount the three men and three women vying for the Democratic nomination in CD2 raised nearly $569,000 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31.
McSally, the two-term Republican, is expected to move her money over to her recently-announced Senate campaign, where she will be a part of a three-way race for the GOP nomination to replace Sen. Jeff Flake in this year’s midterm elections.
Republican Kelli Ward, a well-known conservative candidate best known for challenging Sen. John McCain in 2016, had raised $435,906 in the three-month period and had roughly $350,003 in her campaign coffers.
Ward has been campaigning for the better part of a year, crisscrossing the state to discuss her ideas and platform. Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who announced last month that he would seek the Republican nomination, has not filed a campaign finance report.
On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema raised more than $1.6 million in the fourth quarter and ended the cycle with more than $5.1 million on hand.
Fast start for Republican in CD2
In CD2, the lone Republican candidate raised a six-figure sum after announcing her candidacy in early December.
Lea Márquez-Peterson, the president and CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, raised $208,065 from individuals in just three weeks and loaned her campaign an additional $10,800. At the end of the cycle, she had $210,078 cash on hand.
Former Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick leads in terms of CD2 fundraising on the Democratic side — bringing in $400,050 in donations. A total of $56,500 came from various political committees. At the end of the year, Kirkpatrick had $463,978 leftover in her war chest.
Former state representative and emergency-room physician Matt Heinz raised $81,611 as he makes another run for congressional office. He has $193,118 left in his campaign account.
Mary Matiella, a retired assistant secretary of the Army, raised $51,214 between October and December and has $47,702 available in campaign funds.
Billy Kovacs, a small-business owner, raised $15,526 in the last three months according to FEC records while former state Rep. Bruce Wheeler raised $4,993 in the same period.
Cochise County rancher Barbara Sherry raised $946 in her late entry into the race last year, but put another $6,146 of her own money into her campaign.
O’Halleran leads in CD1 fundraising
In the sprawling Congressional District 1, U.S. Rep. Tom O’Halleran has raised $118,024 from individual donors in the last three months of 2017. The Sedona Democrat raised nearly the same amount — $116,335 — from various political groups as part of his bid for another two years in Congress.
The freshman legislator also has amassed a sizable campaign war chest, with $735,818 in the bank.
With no formal Democrat challenger facing him in a primary, O’Halleran spent $109,474 on campaign activities in the last three months. The district includes part of northern Pima County.
Republican Tiffany Shedd, a farmer, lawyer and business owner, pulled ahead of state Sen. Steve Smith in terms of fundraising in the last cycle for the CD1 race, in part, from putting in $12,400 of her money into her campaign. Additionally, the Eloy Republican loaned her campaign $100,000.
Overall, Shedd’s campaign reported to the FEC that it took in $224,759 between October and the end of December. She had $188,249 in her campaign coffers at the end of the cycle.
Smith, who launched his campaign last summer, raised $53,213 during the same period. His campaign war chest had slightly more than $156,260 left in it, according to FEC reports.
Grijalva has leads in CD3 fundraising
Tucson Democrat U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva has a sizable lead over his would-be Republican rivals with roughly 20 times more cash on hand than his closest opponent for the Congressional District 3 election.
His re-election campaign brought in $46,808 in donations from individuals in last quarter, with another $26,500 coming in from various political groups.
While he has no Democratic rivals, Grijalva’s campaign was active in the last three months of 2017 and spent $63,529 on re-election related activities.
Businessman Sergio Arellano raised $5,585 during the same period. The Republican candidate reported no campaign-related expenses, leaving him with the same amount in his campaign account.
Teacher Edna San Miguel reported no campaign activities to the FEC for the last quarter, saying she had $205.57 in her campaign account.
