Three candidates running for Arizona’s top offices violated financial disclosure laws by failing to report income and donations — in some cases for years.
By Robert Anglen and Stacey Barchenger || The Arizona Republic
Candidates for Arizona’s highest offices face no scrutiny for violating financial reporting laws as the secretary of state and attorney general’s agencies trade blame over enforcement.
Three candidates running for Arizona’s top offices violated financial disclosure laws by failing to report income and donations — in some cases for years.
But the candidates had almost no reason to fear any investigation by Arizona regulators, who are not required to look at financial filings and depend on the public to report problems.
And they had even less reason to fear punishment. State officials charged with overseeing and enforcing financial disclosure and campaign finance rules rarely take action even in cases of clear violations, records show.
An investigation by The Arizona Republic found candidates and elected officials across the political spectrum misreport required details about jobs, assets and income. But the lack of any kind of official review process means the vast majority are never challenged.
Despite violations, only two elected officials have faced formal complaints since 2021. And in both cases, the secretary of state and the attorney general failed to act, allowing more violations to stack up.
The two agencies instead bickered over jurisdiction, authority and bureaucratic process while candidates for governor, attorney general and secretary of state failed to disclose required financial information.
“My office has and will continue to follow the law and precedent as it relates to campaign finance and financial disclosure issues,” Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said in a statement.
Hobbs, the Democrat nominee for governor, is among those who have violated disclosure rules.
Arizona Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs didn’t report income she received as an Uber driver in 2016 while serving as state senator.
She and Abe Hamadeh and Mark Finchem, the Republican nominees for attorney general and secretary of state, all avowed under penalty of perjury their financial forms were “true and correct.”
They were not.
Hobbs didn’t report income she received as an Uber driver in 2016 while serving as state senator.
Hamadeh didn’t report income this year as a U.S. Army reservist.
