Arizona Public Service, the largest utility in the state, is facing scrutiny over whether it is secretly funding a campaign against two Republican candidates for the state’s utility regulatory commission.
The primary race for the state’s Corporation Commission, which oversees utility issues in the state, features four Republican candidates: Thomas Forese, Doug Little, Lucy Mason and Vernon Parker. A conservative dark money group, the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, has thrown its money behind Forese and Little, as well as behind secretary of state candidate Justin Pierce — spending a total of $1.1 million on the primaries this year, according to the state’s campaign finance records.
As The Arizona Republic reported earlier this week, that’s a significant increase in electoral spending for the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, which doled out just $185,000 on 2012 races. It’s a nonprofit making independent expenditures in this campaign, so it doesn’t have to disclose its donors. But this secrecy has allowed allegations to fester that APS is the one funding the effort in Arizona.
