Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) reported raising $2.1 million in the first three months of the year, trailing her likely Democratic challenger Ruben Gallego’s total but still positioning her with significant financial resources if she chooses to run for re-election.
The former Democrat, who left the party in December, brought in funds from several prominent Republican donors and Wall Street sources. She raised more than $280,000 from employees of Blackstone, the private investment company, and $196,000 from employees of the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, according to her campaign’s filings.
Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci also gave her campaign the maximum $3,300, while the No Labels Problem Solvers PAC gave $10,000. Her campaign reported nearly $10 million cash on hand.
Sinema has kept mum so far on whether she plans to run for re-election in 2024. Should she decide to launch a bid, it could spark a three-way race as Democrats have largely coalesced around Gallego, whose campaign reported raising $3.7 million between his January launch and the end of March. His campaign committee reported $2.7 million cash on hand in documents filed with the FEC on Friday.
Mark Lamb, the Pinal County sheriff who has built a national profile as a supporter of former President Donald Trump, became the first major GOP candidate to jump into the race last week.
Republicans are expected to make Arizona, which has hosted close Senate races in each of the past three election cycles, a top priority in 2024 as they look to flip back the upper chamber. National Democrats have largely shied away from addressing how they would approach an election that includes both Gallego and Sinema pending the latter’s announcement.
Sinema saw her standing among Republican and independent voters improve after her party switch, according to polling from Morning Consult, but her overall approval rating still remains underwater.
Holly Otterbein contributed to this report.
