The post Gubernatorial candidates rake in millions in donations ahead of 2026 first appeared on Arizona Capitol Times.
]]>Next year’s gubernatorial race is shaping up to be a costly affair as candidates on both sides of the aisle continue to raise millions of dollars in the lead up to the 2026 elections.
Gov. Katie Hobbs announced on Oct. 15 that her campaign is already breaking fundraising records, bringing in a total of $12 million since she was elected in 2022. Hobbs raised more than $4 million in 2025 alone, the biggest haul of any Arizona gubernatorial candidate in a nonelection year.
“Arizonans are rallying behind Katie Hobbs because they know she’s focused on delivering results – lowering costs, securing the border, and solving problems,” said Nicole DeMont, Hobbs’ campaign manager, in a statement. “While her opponents are locked in a contest for desperate approval from Washington, Katie Hobbs is bringing Republicans, Democrats, and Independents together to move Arizona forward.”
In the most recent campaign finance filing period, which covers July through September, Hobbs raised nearly $1.5 million. That brings her warchest up to $5.4 million in cash on hand.
Hobbs’ political action committee, Copper State Values, has also raised over $2.7 million to support the governor’s reelection campaign.
On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs is slowly but steadily seeing an increase in fundraising over the course of 2025, bringing in over $560,000 in the third quarter. That leaves him with around $630,000 in cash on hand and around $1.2 million raised this cycle.
Biggs’ campaign noted that it received contributions from 4,000 new donors in quarter three alone, which could be attributed to the outpouring of support from conservatives after the shooting death of Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10. Kirk endorsed Biggs’ campaign for governor in May and campaign finance reports show an uptick in donations following Kirk’s death.
“As I continue to travel across Arizona and share my vision of freedom for our state, more and more voters are coming on board to show their support,” Biggs said in a statement. “It’s clear we deserve better than the weak leadership and petty vetoes Katie Hobbs has built her office around, but it will take someone with the relationships and experience at the State Capitol and beyond to lead our state from Day One.”
Turning Point’s political action committee has also been providing support to Biggs’ campaign, spending nearly $500,000 on media for Biggs in 2025 so far.
Businesswoman and former lobbyist Karrin Taylor Robson, known for self-funding her campaigns, has around $970,000 in cash on hand at the end of quarter three and has brought in a total of $4 million in 2025. However, only $1.9 million of her funds have come from donors, while the rest comes from loans Robson has made to her campaign.
Robson is also a big spender, having already dropped $3 million in 2025 alone. $2 million of that was spent on media buys promoting her own endorsement from President Trump, which she shares with Biggs.
“I am grateful for every Arizonan who has invested in our mission to Make Arizona Strong Again,” Robson said in a statement. “With President Trump’s endorsement and the backing of thousands of conservatives, we will build an unstoppable ground game, win the primary, defeat Katie Hobbs, and get our state back on track.”
Building a Better Arizona, the PAC supporting Robson, also spent around $72,000 in independent expenditures on behalf of her campaign in the third quarter, according to campaign finance reports. Most of that money went toward consulting costs and voter outreach efforts.
U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, the newest entrant in the race, does not have any donations to report given his late start to the campaign. But, Schweikert does have around $1.1 million in cash on hand from his congressional campaign that could be rolled over to his gubernatorial committee.
As the candidates gear up to hit the ground running in early 2026, Hobbs continues to lead the pack in cash on hand. While her Republican opponents will use the money they have to battle it out in the Aug. 4 primary, the governor will be able to rest on her warchest for most of 2026.
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]]>The post Fontes says candidates can use campaign cash for personal security first appeared on Arizona Capitol Times.
]]>Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes says he will not open campaign finance complaints against candidates who use campaign funds for personal security in the wake of increased political violence.
Since Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot dead on Sept. 10, Arizona’s elected officials and candidates have been grappling with the potential threat to their own safety. According to an undated memo obtained by the Arizona Capitol Times, several potential officeholders have reached out to Fontes’ office to inquire about using campaign funds for security.
“Unfortunately, personal security has become a necessary part of running for and holding elected office,” Fontes wrote in the memo.
As a result, Fontes said his office will not open complaints or refer any alleged violations for enforcement based on campaign expenditures made for personal security for candidates or their families. Fontes noted in the memo that spending campaign funds on security is not expressly prohibited by state law, but it isn’t explicitly addressed either.
The move highlights the growing need for caution among candidates and a gray area in Arizona’s campaign finance laws.
Arizona’s politicians have already been adjusting to a new reality in the wake of Kirk’s death and the death of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband earlier this year. Gov. Katie Hobbs’ office has stopped sharing press conference locations without an RSVP, while Republicans and Democrats at the Legislature have requested increased security at the Capitol.
Some of Arizona’s top leaders, like Hobbs, Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Steve Montenegro, are entitled to a Department of Public Safety security detail due to the high-profile nature of their offices. However, other elected officials and candidates do not receive that protection and must rely on alternative security measures.
Sen. Shawnna Bolick, R-Phoenix, is no stranger to political threats against her and her family. She is married to Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, and said the two have become well-acquainted with the risks of holding public office in recent years.
Bolick said she and her husband used their personal funds to purchase security cameras for their home in 2021 after both received death threats during the 2020 election. In 2024, when the state Supreme Court upheld Arizona’s territorial abortion ban and the Legislature repealed it, the Department of Public Safety offered to provide security to their home and encouraged them to install even more security cameras.
“In the past, we’ve obviously used our own resources to install cameras and I think it’s a great idea for us to be able to allow candidates who are running for office to utilize the campaign finance laws in order to address our personal security for our family,” Bolick said.
While Fontes’ memo is “a very good starting point,” Bolick said she thinks legislation may be necessary to outline what is and isn’t appropriate security spending, ensuring that bad actors don’t take advantage of the guidance.
“If it’s not clearly defined how you want to secure yourself, you might have members who think this is a good time to go out and buy a bunch of firearms or attack dogs or something silly,” Bolick said.
The Citizens Clean Elections Commission, which oversees public funds given to candidates who do not take money from special interest groups, also indicated its support for using Clean Elections funds for campaign security at its Sept. 25 meeting. Clean Elections Director Tom Collins told commissioners that he believes candidates would not be violating the commission’s rules with those expenditures. Still, more guidance is needed in the form of legislation to address issues like in-kind contributions and allowable expenditures.
Hobbs’ campaign declined to comment on security measures, while candidates for other statewide offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Whether candidates dip into their campaign coffers to pay for personal security will be revealed in campaign finance reports submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, Bolick said she has provided guidance to her fellow lawmakers about how she protects her personal safety on her own dime. That includes using a post office box as her campaign address and not publicly posting locations for campaign events.
“We’re going to have fewer people that want to run for office if we don’t actually clearly outline how you can protect your family while you’re running for office or while you’re serving our state and our community,” Bolick said.
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