Sen. Kyrsten Sinema was outraised by the lead Democratic challenger, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) in July—for a second consecutive quarter.
Sinema raised $1.7 million from April through June 30 and Gallego brought in $3.1 million during the same period.
But more intriguing than the latest fundraising report is the silence coming from Sinema’s campaign on whether she will seek reelection and introduce an unpredictable three-way race where she could boost Republican’s chances of flipping the Senate seat by syphoning enough votes away from Dems.
Sinema’s fundraising efforts reveal a stark contrast between her campaign and that of Gallego.
According to Politico, “less than $9,000 of her second-quarter number came from contributors who have donated less than $200—a sign of continued meager grassroots enthusiasm. Gallego, in comparison, brought in $1.7 million from small-dollar contributions last quarter.”
“Sinema remains reliant on corporate PACs to fill her coffers and notably did not receive any donations from the campaign accounts of her fellow senators. She did nab one contribution from FOX Corporation PAC. Gallego, on the other hand, did not raise any money from PACs in the past three months, his report showed.”
Sinema’s fundraising is also being closely watched after reportedly more than a quarter of her money came from those who work in private equity firms, and Democrats and others accuse her of protecting powerful interests after “thwarting the party’s longtime goal of raising taxes on wealthy investors.”
Sen. Sinema is also facing a complaint from a political group seeking to oust her from office. The complaint cites using campaign funds to live “a lifestyle of luxury” at the expense of her constituents and using campaign donations to pay for expensive international trips, food and luxury lodging.
Some former supporters of Kyrsten Sinema have reportedly scoffed at receiving fundraising emails from the Senator.
Arizona Democrats, and former supporters of Sinema have not forgotten her slap in the face when she voted in dramatic style, mockingly curtsied, smiled and shot a thumbs-down vote against increasing the minimum wage, even though she had previously said she supported it.
The Arizona State Democratic Party censured Sinema in January for opposing the removal of the filibuster and stating that Sinema had failed to stand up for her constituents in key areas such as voting rights and holding major corporations accountable.”
“Senator Sinema may now be registered as an Independent, but she has shown she answers to the corporations and billionaires, not Arizonans,” the party said in a statement.
An AARP poll taken in September revealed low support for Sinema among Arizona voters and FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver tweeted a graphic from the AARP poll showing low support for Sinema among all Arizona voters.
A mere 37% of all likely voters viewed her favorably and 57% of Democrats viewed her as unfavorable.
Northeast Valley News spoke with some voters in downtown Phoenix and asked for their impression of the Senator and what they thought of her latest fundraising efforts.
Sylvia Humberto, a registered Democrat said, “Kyrsten Sinema sent me an email asking for funds and highlighted things she has done—but she forgot to mention that she votes against the right of others to vote and all the things she promised to support, and didn’t. I saw the email asking for donations and laughed out loud.”
While it was challenging to find Independent voters willing to speak on the record one man who did not want to be identified told Northeast Valley News, “he didn’t like anyone who’s a turncoat,” and likely would not be voting for Sinema even though he’s been a registered Independent for three decades.
Native Arizonan, 62-year old Steven Williamson began as a staunch supporter of Sinema but after her performance in the Senate said, “Never again.” When asked about her recent fundraising efforts Williamson said, “I spam her stuff now.”
A different poll conducted last July by Data for Progress and The Copper Courier and before Sinema changed her party affiliation, reported that Sinema had only a 42% approval rating among state residents and only 34% of Arizona Democrats viewed her favorably.
