Democrats eye Ariz. AG race as top pickup opportunity
National groups have invested millions in Arizona’s attorney general race, significantly outraising and outspending the candidates’ own campaigns.
Republicans are working to protect their incumbent, Attorney General Mark Brnovich, as Democrats help challenger January Contreras try to turn the office blue.
As of Tuesday, the Republican Attorneys General Association had poured more than $1.5 million into TV ads promoting Brnovich and slamming Contreras. It expects to spend at least another $1 million before the Nov.
6 election, according to a RAGA spokesman who said that “number could always go up.”
The Democratic Attorneys General Association, meanwhile, has spent $750,000 to help Contreras get elected and likely will spend $1 million more over the next few weeks. Arizona is one of its top battleground states, a spokeswoman said, along with Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.
Contreras also received an indirect assist from a committee funded by San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer, which has attacked Brnovich as part of its nearly $18 million effort to pass Proposition 127.
The group contends Brnovich added biased ballot language that could sink the measure, which would require electric companies to get half their power from renewable sources by 2030.
Locally, campaign-finance data show Brnovich has spent about $670,000 on his re-election campaign, while Contreras has spent about $305,000 to defeat him.
Thirty-one attorney-general seats will appear on state ballots this year, with four others filled by appointment.
Though Brnovich has better name recognition and a partisan advantage in right-leaning Arizona, national political analysts say he shouldn’t consider a win guaranteed.
As state attorneys general nationwide challenge high-profile Trump administration decisions, Democrats are working to secure key legal posts throughout the country.
Arizona’s post is seen as a possible pickup for Democrats, spurring bigname politicians such as former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden to publicly support Contreras.
“We’ve been big supporters and really excited about January’s campaign for a long time,” said Lizzie Ulmer, a Democratic Attorneys General Association spokeswoman. “Arizona is on that target list of states that we think we may be able to flip from red to blue. That’s a tough task, especially with some of the polling, but we do think that she’s continuing to pick up momentum.”
Ulmer said the Democratic group is “battling some real resource issues,” given their Republican counterpart’s fundraising prowess, but said Arizona “is among our top states for spending.”
One of its more successful, lowercost strategies involves a voter-texting program, where volunteers contact voters “to find out one, do they know that their attorney general is elected, and two, do you have questions about January Contreras and her positions?” Ulmer said.
“Republicans are more in a defensive year,” she said. “So it’s a really great map for Democrats in terms of the number of states we have an opportunity in.”
Brnovich backers have acknowledged that Arizona is “ground zero for Democrats” and that Contreras supporters are “all in.”
But they are confident in Brnovich’s record and the public’s familiarity with him.
The Republican Attorneys General Association has run ads touting Brnovich’s career and credentials, highlighting consumer-protection wins in particular. The group also is using social media, radio and direct mail to court voters.
“Bottom line, Brnovich has the clear edge in experience and resources, which is why we’ve seen the AG up consistently in public and private polling,” said Zack Roday, a RAGA spokesman. “Further, Brnovich is authentic … He’s a dynamic, pragmatic leader who has protected Arizonans, and we will continue to make that case to voters.”
During the most recent financial reporting period, which ended Sept. 30, Brnovich’s campaign raised about $162,000 and spent about $408,000.
He ended the period with nearly $300,000 on hand.
He accepted about $30,000 from political action committees, including those representing Southwest Gas Corp., the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Beer and Wine Distributors of Arizona, Freeport-McMoRan, Comcast Corp., Arizona Public Service Co.’s parent company Pinnacle West Capital Corp., Sprint Corp., Verizon Communications and Microsoft Corp.
Notable individual donors included GOP strategists Doug Cole and Chuck Coughlin; Eileen Sigmund, president of the Charter School Association; Scott Smith, former Gov. Jan Brewer’s chief of staff; restaurateur Sam Fox; and a series of prominent attorneys.
The bulk of his spending, about $350,000, went to TV ads.
Contreras outraised Brnovich by $30,000 during the period, bringing in about $193,000. She spent much less, about $60,000, and finished with $421,000 in the bank.