PHOENIX — The battle for Arizona’s Senate seat is being waged with out-of-state money.
Kari Lake, the presumptive Republican nominee, has raised only 32% of her money from Arizona voters. It’s even less for Democrat Ruben Gallego — just 26% of his money comes from inside the state.
Kyrsten Sinema’s soon-to-be-vacated seat is one of the races that may allow a razor-thin margin for either party in the Senate. And that’s why it’s predicted to be one of the most cash-infused Senate campaigns in history.
“More and more, these U.S. Senate races are national races,” said DJ Quinlan, a Democratic campaign strategist. “They are run within the state of Arizona, but it has a national importance.”
Quinlan said Arizona’s last three Senate races have been among the most expensive, and this one will likely be no different.
Gallego’s campaign has raised $20.8 million as of March 31, which is the most current data according to Federal Election Commission records.
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, another Republican throwing his hat into the Senate race is trailing Lake in campaign contributions, raising $1.6 million.
One of our Mesa viewers asked us to look at where the money is coming from. Here are the top states for individual contributions for the Senate race according to FEC records.
Ruben Gallego
- Out-of-state contributions: $7.75 million
- Total individual contributions: $10.5 million
We also looked at individual contributions to the Gallego Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee that pools donations for the campaign. A person can gift up to $123,900 to these party committees, per election, compared to the maximum $3,300 to campaigns.
Ruben Gallego Top Individual Donors (Gallego Victory Fund)
- $21,600 - Jay Pritzker. Governor of Illinois. Pritzker has been donating to progressive candidates and political action committees since the late 1970s and has donated $763k since 2023. Pritzker has an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion. Chicago, Illinois.
- $21,600 – Marcia Grand. The widow of a prominent Arizona trial attorney who won the first million-dollar verdict in the state. San Francisco, California.
- $16,600 - Barbara Karplus. Accountant and board member of the Woka Foundation, a non-profit that champions environmental and human rights causes. Thousand Oaks, California.
- $15,000 – Liz Simons. Board chair of the Heising-Simons Foundation which promotes sustainable solutions in climate and green energy. Simons was appointed by President Biden in 2023 to serve on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Program council. Her husband Mark Heising, is the founder of the private investment firm Medley Partners and is also the chair of the Environmental Defense Fund. Atherton, California.
- $15,000 – John Schaar. Listed as a member of the Verona Fire Department. Verona, Wisconsin.
- $11,600 – Rob Womer. Retired test pilot, program manager and U.S. Navy captain. Serves on the board of directors for the Woka Foundation, promoting environmental and human rights causes. Newbury Park, California.
- $10,000 - Joseph Alsop. Venture partner at Alsop Louie. Tech investor and former CEO of Progress Software. San Francisco, California.
- $10,000 – Leslie Wagner. Co-founder of the Harvey and Leslie Wagner Foundation which provides grants to support innovation in technology, education and the arts. Incline Village, Nevada.
- $10,000 – Tomas Torres. Realtor. Houston, Texas.
- $10,000 - Sebastian Scripps. Angel investor who funds green energy startups. Serves as a board member for SustainVC, a venture capital firm that funds environmental and human rights causes. New Canaan, Connecticut.
Kari Lake
- Out-of-state contributions: $2.05 million
- Total individual contributions: $3.03 million
Kari Lake Top Individual Donors (Kari Lake Victory Fund)
- $100,000 - Scott Schirmer, owner of Schirmer Properties. The real estate development company designs golf course communities in Idaho and Arizona. Locations in Arizona include Prescott American Ranch, Prescott Lakes, Seven Desert Mountain and Wickenburg Ranch. Schirmer company also contributed $100,000. Scottsdale, Arizona.
- $100,000 – Robert Kiyosaki. American businessman and author of the 1997 personal finance book “Rich Dad Poor Dad.” Followed by 2.5 million on X, formerly known as Twitter, including Kari Lake. Phoenix, Arizona.
- $50,000 - Matthew Waltz, owner of Waltz Construction. His company has built schools, multi-family housing, gyms and restaurants across the valley. Tempe, Arizona.
- $50,000 – Erika Waltz, instructor at Body Lab. Phoenix, Arizona.
- $50,000 – Tom Falcone, owner of Falcone Land Development. The company develops land on the outskirts of Omaha, Nebraska. Peoria, Arizona.
- $50,000 – Kimberly Falcone. Self-employed esthetician. Wife of Tom Falcone. The couple has attended high-profile events at Mar-a-Lago and has photos with Donald Trump and Kari Lake. Peoria, Arizona.
- $39,900 – Daryl Donkersloot, manufacturer Advanced Materials Technologies and managing member of Phoenix Paver. Donkersloot has also donated $25,000 to the Maricopa County Republican Committee. Chandler, Arizona.
- $28,900 – Ron Marhofer. Auto retailer. His family has been selling cars in Northeast Ohio since 1918. Stow, Ohio.
- $25,000 – Gayla Donkersloot. Wife of Daryl Donkersloot. Homemaker. Chandler, Arizona.
- $25,000 – Louis Breland. Real estate developer and founder of Breland Properties. Huntsville, Alabama.
Mark Lamb
- Out-of-state contributions: $227,934
- Total individual contributions: $638,939
Mark Lamb Top Individual Donors
- $13,748 – Michael Gregory, surgeon and CEO of Apogee Physicians. Paradise Valley, Arizona.
- $13,470 - Charles Long, the co-owner of Reliable Paving and Concrete. Arlington, Texas.
- $6,600 – Jimmy Westcott, “Real Housewives of Dallas” TV personality. Dallas, Texas.
Quinlan said Lake needs to raise more if she wants to control her message to voters.
“Ruben Gallego has been on ads on TV for about seven straight weeks,” Quinlan said. “He is introducing himself as a combat veteran, as somebody who is really doing the work for the people of Arizona, and Kari Lake just has not been on TV.”
Expect those television and radio ads to ramp up in the coming weeks and months.
Lake’s campaign reported having $2.5 million cash on hand as of March 31 with $451,938 “debts/loans owed by committee.” According to the FEC, unpaid bills and written contracts or agreements to make expenditures are considered debts.
Lamb reported having $253,615 on hand and $116,950 in debts and loans.
Gallego ended the first quarter of 2024 with $9.6 million cash on hand, according to FEC filings.
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