An insurgent candidate for U.S. Senate in Arizona outraised his opponents – including the state’s attorney general – over the past year.
According to records from the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), venture capitalist Blake Masters raised $3,577,745.06 between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022. The campaign registered $3,293,712.58 in itemized contributions, defined as contributions over $200, and $257,932.48 in non-itemized contributions during that time period.
In contrast, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R), also vying for the Republican nomination, registered $2,549,672.95 in donations over the past year, nearly $700,000 less than political newcomer Masters.
A third Republican candidate, Jim Lamon, posted $13,839,094.88, but $13,000,000 of that money was raised in the form of a loan to his own campaign, meaning he only raised $839,094.88 from donors.
Perhaps worse than being outraised by his main primary opponent, former President Donald Trump appears to be at odds with Arizona’s highest-ranking attorney.
“Attorney General Brnovich of Arizona was given massive information on the fraud and so-called ‘irregularities’ that took place in the 2020 Presidential Election. Many people said that he would do nothing about it because that just seems to be the way he is,” Trump said in an April 18 statement. “Well, he did a report, and he recites some of the many horrible things that happened in that very dark period of American history but, rather than go after the people that committed these election crimes, it looks like he is just going to ‘kick the can down the road’ and stay in that middle path of non-controversy. He wants to be politically correct.”
That statement finished with what appeared to be a shot across Brnovich’s bow.
“The good news is Arizona has some very good people running for election to the U.S. Senate,” Trump said. “I will be making an Endorsement in the not too distant future!”
Trump held a fundraiser for Masters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in November.
Neither Masters’ campaign nor Brnovich’s campaign returned comment requests made on Wednesday.
The latest polling shows the top three candidates, Brnovich, Lamon and Masters, all within striking distance of each other.
An OH Predictive Insights poll conducted between April 4 and April 5 of 500 likely Republican primary voters showed Brnovich at 21 percent, Lamon at 16 percent and Masters at 9 percent.
A whopping 44 percent of voters remain undecided for whom they will cast their vote in the August 24 primary.
The winner of the race will face Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in the November general election.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at the Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Blake Masters” By Blake Masters.
