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With Election Day less than a month away, Democrats have invested heavily in Arizona, dwarfing independent spending in a number of other races nationwide.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has spent upwards of $1.66 million on the state’s three competitive seats. And when spending from other Arizona districts is factored in, Democrats have spent $2.06 million in the Grand Canyon State, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
The only state where Democrats are spending comparable money is Ohio, a frequent battleground where the DCCC has sunk $2 million into three GOP-held seats. The next highest-grossing state is Pennsylvania, where the committee has spent more than $1.2 million total on three races.
The committee, in total, has spent around $20 million on independent expenditures so far this cycle.
The increased focus on the Southwest reflects new pickup opportunities made possible by demographic shifts and increased dissatisfaction with the national Republican brand, said University of Arizona political science Professor John Garcia.
Democrats have their eye on retiring Rep. Rick Renzi’s (R) district and high hopes for their candidate, former state Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D). Renzi was indicted on federal corruption charges, a circumstance that may have left the district vulnerable for the GOP. The DCCC has spent almost $740,000 in the race, which, when combined with the roughly $720,000 Kirkpatrick’s campaign had spent through mid-August, gives Democrats a possible pickup.
The Republican challenger, Arizona Mining Association President Sydney Ann Hay, has posted lackluster fundraising numbers — only $60,000 in the cycle to date — that give Kirkpatrick an advantage.
“Sydney Hay is a Phoenix corporate lobbyist who lobbied against clean air and water for some of America’s worst polluters,” said DCCC spokesman Yoni Cohen, who called Hay the Republicans’ 10th choice for their candidate.
“Obviously, voters thought she was a top-tier candidate,” said National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokesman Brendan Buck. “They gave her the nomination.”
Democrats are also defending their 2006 gains — Reps. Harry Mitchell (D) and Gabrielle Giffords (D).
The DCCC has spent big money to defend Mitchell’s seat, which switched from red to blue when Mitchell upset Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R) last cycle. The DCCC has more than doubled the amount it spent in the district in 2006. Dems invested $244,000 that year but have spent just under $720,000 this cycle.
Buck indicated the NRCC is targeting Mitchell for his close ties to the Democratic leadership, saying Mitchell is ineffective and closely aligned with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
But Dems are hitting the GOP candidate, former Maricopa County Treasurer David Schweikert, on the economy.
“In the midst of a mortgage crisis, David Schweikert proposed a new national sales tax that would eliminate the home mortgage deduction,” Cohen said. “As a county treasurer, Schweikert was cited by an internal audit for mismanagement and incompetence.”
Freshman Rep. Giffords has benefited from over $200,000 in independent expenditures in her race against state Sen. Tim Bee (R), about the same amount Democrats spent there last cycle.
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