PHOENIX — Republican gubernatorial hopeful Ken Bennett is asking a judge to give him one last chance to qualify for public funding for his campaign.
His lawsuit filed in Maricopa County Superior Court contends that the Secretary of State’s Office shut down the online portal for people to make $5 donations that would entitle him to $839,704 at 5 p.m. Tuesday. But he said Arizona law set the deadline for donations at midnight that night.
Bennett said he already has 3,995 donations. He contends he would have had the minimum 4,000 — and more — if the website had not gone dark.
Representing himself, Bennett wants Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Connie Contes to direct the site to be reopened for at least four hours.
He said that will give campaign volunteers a chance to contact people who said they would have given but for problems with the portal.
He also wants the judge to order the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, which administers the public funding, to accept the late donations even though they come after the deadline.
A hearing is set for Monday morning.
Matt Roberts, spokesman for Secretary of State Michele Reagan, said he does not know whether she will oppose what Bennett, himself a former secretary of state, is demanding.
“The lawyers will decide that over the weekend,” he said.
But Tom Collins, executive director of the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, said the extra time Bennett wants is contrary to the law.
Bennett acknowledged that by the time he gets a ruling — especially if there is an appeal — Tuesday’s primary election will be over. That means even if he gets his $5 donations and qualifies for the money it will too late for him to spend it in his bid for the GOP nomination.
But he said there still are reasons to pursue the case.
First, if Bennett defeats incumbent Gov. Doug Ducey in Tuesday’s primary, qualifying for public funding would entitle him to another $1.2 million for the general election campaign. And even if he loses, Bennett said the money could be used to repay him the $43,000 he loaned his campaign.
