By Ray Stern | Arizona Republic
Republican candidates for the Arizona Legislature have taken an early fundraising lead in an election cycle packed with turmoil and uncertainty.
Some GOP donors are fueling their favored candidates’ campaigns out of anger toward Democratic policies — though not necessarily toward local Democratic lawmakers who haven’t had political control of the Legislature for decades.
Both Republican and Democratic candidates have struggled with the once-a-decade redistricting process as a negative factor for fundraising. Until new political maps were approved in late December, donors didn’t know where exactly where candidates would run or who their likely opponents would be.
With the reconvening of the Legislature this month, sitting lawmakers are hampered by a state law that prohibits taking donations from lobbyists while they’re in session. But big money for any candidate could pour into campaigns just before the primary and general elections, and some observers predict legislative campaigns could approach the record spending seen in 2020.
The elections are still months away. But campaign finance reports released by the Secretary of State’s Office this month show that Democrats have catching up to do.
