J.D. Mesnard (left) A.J. Kurdoglu
By Andrew Oxford | Arizona Republic
There are still plenty of ads left to air and mailers left to send, but when all the spending by campaigns and outside groups is added up after this election, one multi-million dollar race for a state Senate seat in the southeast Valley may prove the most expensive in Arizona.
As Democrats vie to end the Republicans’ longtime majority in the chamber, those outside groups have spent more than $1.1 million campaigning against Sen. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, in District 17.
Republicans have marshaled hundreds of thousands of dollars of their own to defend him and stop his Democratic challenger, A.J. Kurdoglu, as they see their 17-13 majority imperiled in several districts across the state.
The race has turned into a staggeringly expensive contest. When Mesnard first ran for a House seat in the district 10 years ago, his campaign spent about $28,000. All of this underscores the stakes in a handful of legislative districts that could decide which party controls the Senate.
