Two Democrats vying for the party’s gubernatorial nomination say their end-of-year fundraising efforts were boosted by negative attention for Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.
On Monday morning, former Nogales Mayor Marco López announced his campaign raised more than $1 million last year, mostly from individuals contributing $25 or less.
Shortly after, former state Rep. Aaron Lieberman announced his campaign raised more than $1.16 million in the 2021.
Officials with both candidates’ campaigns touted surges in contributions in the final months of 2021, which López directly attributed to a federal discrimination case that’s scarred the Hobbs campaign.
A federal jury awarded a state Senate staffer $2.75 million after she successfully argued she was fired and discriminated against based on race and sex. Hobbs was the top Democrat in the Senate when the staffer was fired.
Yet Hobbs likely still outpaced both her opponents, having raised more than $1 million in the first half of 2021 alone. She’s yet to announce her fundraising totals for the entire calendar year.
Campaign finance reports for all Arizona candidates are due on Jan. 15.
