Sen. Kelly raises $4.4M for 2022 reelection campaign
Sen. Mark Kelly’s reelection campaign hauled in nearly $4.4 million during the first quarter of 2021, bolstering his war chest in a top-tier race that could help decide control of the U.S. Senate in 2022.
Kelly, D-Ariz., won a special election in 2020 to oust Republican Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., and fill the remainder of a term initially won in 2016 by the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Now, he will seek a full six-year term. In his campaign-finance report, Kelly will report having nearly $4.4 million cash on hand, according to his campaign.
Emma Brown is managing Kelly’s reelection campaign. Brown worked as Kelly’s deputy campaign manager last cycle before running the Arizona Democratic Party’s coordinated campaign to help Democrats flip the Senate seat and win the presidential race.
“The grassroots support that sent Mark to the Senate is only growing, and there is no question that this campaign will be fueled up and ready to win in 2022,” Brown said.
Kelly’s first-quarter performance likely gives him a financial advantage over any GOP challenger.
Kelly has not drawn a Democratic primary challenger and no clear Republican
contender has emerged for the seat once held by McCain and before him, the late Sen. Barry Goldwater — both GOP nominees for president.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who chairs the conservative House Freedom Caucus and who argued to set aside Arizona’s election results, is still meeting with local GOP operatives and friends to assess how he may fare in a general election against Kelly.
Jim Lamon, chairman of Depcom Power and supporter of former President Donald Trump, is privately sizing up how he might perform against Kelly. And Blake Masters, the Tucson Republican with close ties to billionaire Peter Thiel, continues to study his chances.
Gov. Doug Ducey, chair of the Republican Governors Association, has repeatedly said he will not run for the seat.
Meanwhile, Kelly is drawing heat from Republicans on a wide-ranging front. As the Senate race begins to take shape, it’s unclear how any GOP challenger would fare financially against Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut and the husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. He was one of the top fundraisers during the 2019-20 cycle, raising nearly $99.8 million to unseat McSally, according to Open Secrets.
Kelly took in $200,000 more than his first quarter in 2019. His campaign said the $4.4 million was raised from more than 125,000 contributions.