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Arizona Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego raised $3.1 million for his U.S. Senate campaign over the last three months, fueled by small-dollar donors who gave $100 or less, according to campaign finance data the Gallego campaign released Thursday to 12News.
The second-quarter haul falls short of the $3.7 million the five-term congressman raised during the first quarter of the year, his first as a Senate candidate.
The second-quarter total includes donations from a fundraiser last week hosted by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the campaign said.
"For the second quarter in a row, over 50,000 people have chipped in what they could to support Ruben's campaign because they know it's time to elect a U.S. Senator who fights for Arizonans - not special interests or big corporations," Gallego for Arizona campaign manager Nichole Johnson said in a prepared statement. "With two quarters of momentum and a strong foundation of grassroots support, we are the only team in this race that is built to win."
The campaign said 98% of all contributions were $100 or less.
Gallego’s base of small donors helps him draw a contrast with independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s base of more affluent supporters.
More than half of the $2.1 million Sinema raised in the first quarter of the year came from donors who gave at least the maximum individual donation of $3,300.
Investment firms accounted for 30 percent of her war chest.
Small donors have become the seed corn of campaigns – many donate over and over to candidates on party-backed websites, without hitting the maximum allowed for a campaign.
Sixteen months out from the November 2024 election, Arizona’s U.S. Senate race remains a muddle.
Gallego is the prohibitive Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate.
Sinema, now serving as an independent after two decades as a registered Democrat, has yet to announce whether she’ll run for a second six-year term.
The Republican race has barely begun.
The lone “name” candidate is Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, making his first run for federal office.
Kari Lake, who lost the 2022 governor’s race, may or may not run, as she auditions for the role of vice presidential running-mate for Donald Trump.
After losing the last three U.S. Senate elections in Arizona, Republican leaders are reportedly trying to recruit candidates who can win a GOP primary and then statewide.
Senate fundraising has taken on more urgency in the last three election cycles, with Arizona’s new role as a swing state in deciding which party controls the Senate.
In 2022, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Tucson, in his second successful run for the Senate in two years, raised a mind-boggling $92 million. In the 2020 cycle, his haul was $101 million.
Sinema, who has proved to be a prolific fund-raiser during her congressional and Senate races, had almost $10 million in cash on hand at the end of the first quarter.
Gallego, who is having to spend money on an election that’s still more than a year away, had $2.7 million in cash on hand at the end of the first quarter. His campaign didn’t share that number for the second quarter.
The Federal Election Commission’s deadline for second-quarter campaign finance reports is Saturday.
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