Arpaio raising far less money than he had in sheriff races

As an internationally known sheriff, Joe Arpaio hauled in the dough.

These days, as a Republican candidate aiming for his party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate, the one-time Maricopa County lawman isn’t bringing in the money like he used to.

Arizona’s Senate race, deemed a toss-up by the independent and nonpartisan Cook Political Report in Washington, D.C., could decide which party controls the chamber. Democrats need to win a net of two new seats to take the majority.

Democrats are also trying to retake the House, and they continue to post fundraising numbers in Arizona that suggest the party is well-financed to do so.

The leading Democrats in Arizona’s two competitive open House races each raised more than $500,000 in the first three months of the year, easily outraising challengers in and outside their parties.

Two leading Republican House contenders also posted solid, if smaller, numbers, suggesting GOP supporters intend to push back against Democratic momentum.

For his part, Arpaio is trying to recapture his past financial energy.

Arpaio, who was ousted during his 2016 reelection bid for sheriff and was convicted of contempt of court in connection with a federal racial-profiling case, brought in $500,000 for the first fundraising quarter of the Senate, his team reported. He has $250,000 on hand.

That amount pales in comparison to the prolific fundraising of the first five months of Arpaio’s fundraising for county sheriff in 2016, where he reported raising nearly $2 million.

And it is far less than the fundraising prowess demonstrated by his primary opponent, U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, of Tucson, and the Democratic front-runner, U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, of Phoenix.

Jennifer Duffy, who analyzes U.S. Senate races for the Cook Political Report, described Arpaio’s fundraising as lackluster compared with the money he brought in two years ago, when he was in the national spotlight and fighting a highprofile court battle.

“A Senate race is just different,” Duffy said. “And there’s a lot of speculation about why he’s really in it. He’s probably paying a lot to raise a lot ... and you’re not going to win this primary without TV in a real campaign.”

If elected, Arpaio, 85, would be the oldest elected freshman senator in U.S. history. His underwhelming fundraising only adds to the concerns that his run is intended more to stoke his ego rather than a legitimate run for the seat.

In a news release, Arpaio, who was pardoned by President Donald Trump last August, played up his fundraising skills, saying the money came from more than 14,000 donors across the U.S. and is evidence votU.S. ers want “a real conservative with a proven track record” representing them in the Senate.

Arpaio entered the race later than GOP rival Kelli Ward, a former state senator from Lake Havasu City.

The primary election is Aug. 28.

First-quarter fundraising reports are not yet available from the Federal Election Commission.

McSally’s campaign spokeswoman said the two-term congresswoman “brought in” $2.75 million during the first quarter, likely a reflection of her time in Congress.

Torunn Sinclair, a McSally spokeswoman, said the campaign has $3.18 million on hand from more than 20,000 people, “and we haven’t even kicked into” high gear, she said.

She did not provide a summary of the campaign’s contributions, nor its specific donors.

Based off the numbers reported by her campaign, Duffy said McSally has demonstrated she is the best-positioned Republican to run a competitive general-election campaign.

Ward, a doctor who entered the race more than a year ago, raised even less than Arpaio.

Ward and Arpaio, who lives in Fountain Hills, are competing for the same conservative base of voters.

Ward, who began running in the 2018 Senate race almost immediately after losing her 2016 primary challenge, reported raising $467,000 during the first quarter, bringing her fundraising total to $2 million from more than 18,000 donors.

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, the leading Democratic candidate for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake.

She has nearly $6.7 million on hand.