Sinema touts massive war chest advantage but lags behind foe in first quarter haul
Ryan King
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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) has a sizable cash-on-hand advantage over her leading Democrat foe should she vie for reelection, campaign filings show.
Despite trailing Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) $2.1 million to $3.7 million during the first quarter haul, Sinema touts almost $10 million cash on hand, far surpassing Gallego’s $2.7 million, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.
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Some of her top donations included roughly $280,000 from Blackstone employees and $196,000 from the Carlyle Group, campaign filings revealed. Progressives have long lashed out at her for being too cozy with corporations.
“I’m proud to be running a people-powered campaign where 98% of my donors are small-dollar donors who chipped in less than $100. It’s unfortunate that Sinema has pursued a different strategy: catering to a small group of rich donors,” Gallego said amid reports on their fundraising operations.
Sinema has provoked the ire of progressives for lurching to the center and switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Independent late last year, setting the stage for a possible three-way showdown. Along with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), she had been a thorn in the side of Senate Democrats, scuttling progressive wish list items.
Earlier this week, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb became the first major Republican to jump into the race. Gallego declared his progressive challenge for the seat in January. Although she has not yet announced, Sinema has huddled with donors and made moves that fueled speculation she will mount a reelection bid.
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Amid the controversies that have swirled around her, Sinema has largely been quiet in public, while striving for bipartisanship in the upper chamber.
Several polls have shown her approval in the Grand Canyon State underwater, though her favorability appears to have ticked up among Republicans and independents after her party switch.