Races for statewide Arizona offices getting expensive

And Democrat Kris Mayes is spending a lot of it, trying to ensure she gets a second term as Arizona attorney general.

New campaign finance reports show that as of the end of September, the most recent data available, Mayes had spent $5.4 million. Even with that, she still had $1 million left in the bank to purchase last-minute advertising.

Most of her cash raised was from individual contributions, though she did list more than $216,000 from political action committees.

She also got outside help from Chispa AZ in the form of more than $100,000 in independent expenditures to get her reelected. That organization is an arm of the League of Conservation Voters specifically working with the Latino community.

Mayes also reported lending her campaign $5,000 at the end of 2024.

Her Republican challenger in the November election, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, listed expenditures at less than $2.1 million, with cash on hand as of the end of September at close to $250,000.

But Petersen has had to put more of his own cash into his race, through a series of loans totaling $125,500.

Helping to level the financial playing field, though, is money spent by others to help him get elected. According to the most recent report on file with the Secretary of State's Office, those independent expenditures total more than $650,000.

That paints only part of the picture of the outside money spent on Petersen's behalf, however.

Restore Order Arizona, a PAC set up specifically to aid his campaign, has spent close to $600,000 to get him elected. The largest source of funds for Restore Order Arizona is The BoaVida group and its subsidiaries, an investment company that owns mobile home parks across the country, including in Arizona.

That is particularly relevant because the firm was sued last year by Mayes for failing to repair the air conditioning system at the Redwood Mobile Park in Tucson it owns. She said that left residents without air conditioning during the summer months.

A spokesman for the company told Capitol Media Services earlier this year that BoaVida founder Eli Werner wants Mayes ousted.

The state's case against BoaVida is still pending in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Treasurer's race

The race for state treasurer also is getting expensive.

Republican Elijah Norton reports spending more than $4.3 million to claim the office, which is being vacated by Kimberly Yee, who has served the two terms to which the Arizona Constitution limits statewide officers.

In Norton's case, most of the money is his own. He has given his campaign a series of loans totaling more than $4.1 million.

That left him with less than $50,000 at the end of September.

Norton also is getting about $18,000 in outside support, mainly from two conservative political action committees.

Nick Mansour, his Democratic rival, listed spending at about $910,000. But that left him with more than $580,000 to spend on last-minute ads.

Secretary of state race

Incumbent Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, filed a report showing he has spent just shy of $2 million in his bid for a second term. That leaves him with about $713,000.

Reports also show another $17,700 spent on his behalf, including $13,500 from Worker Power PAC, which lists itself as supporting progressive candidates.

Fontes' Republican challenger Alexander Kolodin listed about $210,000 in expenses as of the end of September, with another $420,000 left for last-minute campaigning.

Kolodin also got $17,500 in spending by others, mainly from two conservative PACs.

Schools chief race

In the race for state schools chief, Republican candidate Kimberly Yee has so far spent close to $320,000, leaving her with close to $260,000 in the bank as of the end of September.

Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz lists expenses of nearly $330,000 with more than $237,000 left to spend.

Corporation Commission races

All four major party candidates for Arizona Corporation Commission are running with public funds. That means Republicans Ralph Heap and Kevin Thompson and Democrats Clara Pratte and Jonathon Hill are pretty much equalized in their ability to spend.

But the Democrats are getting an outside financial boost, with the Working Families Party PAC listing having spent $50,000 for each on campaign mailings.