PHOENIX — Gov. Doug Ducey continues to accumulate campaign funds in his bid for another four years in office.
New finance reports show Ducey’s donations total $4.16 million, including nearly $791,000 he raised in the most recent three months.
The governor has plenty left to spend, listing total expenses of less than $912,000.
That’s left Ken Bennett, the other Republican in the governor’s race, in the dust.
Bennett’s contribution list totals $44,320, including $30,500 out of his own pocket, as he hopes to eventually get enough $5 donations to qualify for public funding. That would give him $839,704 to spend between now and the Aug. 28 primary.
Among the three Democrats hoping to take on whoever survives the GOP primary, state Sen. Steve Farley has collected the most at more than $1.1 million against $628,193 in expenses.
David Garcia said he has raised $846,104 to date and his expenses are approaching $600,000.
Kelly Fryer is far back at $161,383 in contributions and expenses of $120,498.
What’s reported is unlikely to be all that is spent convincing Arizonans how to vote.
Four years ago Ducey was the beneficiary of close to $8 million spent on his behalf by outside groups on commercials extolling him or attacking his Democratic rival Fred DuVal.
To date in this year’s race, no outside groups have filed formal spending reports. But there is spending going on, at least indirectly, that could help Ducey, so far including TV commercials on state education funding paid for by a business coalition; and a commercial paid for by the Republican Governors Association about Ducey’s teacher pay-raise plan.
Slightly further down the ticket, Republican Steve Gaynor reports he has more than $1 million in his bid to oust GOP incumbent Michele Reagan as secretary of state, though virtually all of that is his own cash.
Reagan has been buffeted by a series of problems with how some elections were conducted, notably the failure of her office to get pamphlets explaining the issues in a 2016 special election into voters’ hands before they got their early ballots.
By contrast, Reagan, seeking another four-year term, listed donations of $649,684. That includes $85,000 she loaned her own campaign, though she repaid $15,000 of that earlier this year.
Democrat Katie Hobbs is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for the office.
In the five-way GOP primary for superintendent of public instruction, incumbent Diane Douglas has raised less than anyone else at just $17,896. She’s already spent nearly $14,000 of that.
At the other extreme, challenger Jonathan Gelbart reports donations of $98,839, though that also includes $25,000 of his own money.
Frank Riggs was slightly farther behind at $85,098. More than half was in loans to his campaign.
Bob Branch listed $24,679 in donations, with Tracy Livingston at $18,668.
On the Democratic side, both David Schapira and Kathy Hoffman qualified for $108,779 in public funds in their campaigns for schools superintendent.
