Arizona U.S. Senate seat race shaping into high-dollar slugfest

(The Center Square) — Democrat Congressman Ruben Gallego, Republican Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, and Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema released their quarter-two fundraising numbers in the Arizona Senate race this week, which paints a clearer picture of the race in its early days.

Gallego raised $3.1 million in the quarter, which runs from April 1 to June 30, whereas Lamb raised over $607,000. The Democrat entered the race in January, and he’s quickly accumulated a war chest.

Lamb waited till Friday to release his numbers, which also show that he has $335,000 in cash on hand and spent over $272,000. Notably, his wife, Janel Lamb, was paid nearly $5,000 by the campaign for “strategic consulting” and mileage costs.

“Rough way to head into FEC weekend for the [Arizona Republican Party],” Gallego’s spokeswoman Hannah Goss tweeted Friday.

Lamb is the only one in the race for the Republican nomination, which has arguably come to a standstill as former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has continuously said she is considering a bid to replace Sinema.

Sinema has not announced whether or not she will run for re-election, but the Wall Street Journal reported in April that she was laying the groundwork for a possible campaign. She raised $1.6 million, less than Gallego, but has $10.7 million on hand. The senator received significant praise and pushback after she left the Democratic Party in December, although she still caucuses with them.

Sinema would have likely faced a primary challenger if she stayed and decided to run for re-election, and her impending decision could set the stage for an unusual three-way race where the incumbent is not with either major party.