Brewer seeks to enter campaign finance case

Gov. Jan Brewer is asking a federal judge to let her become a late participant in a major campaign finance case. That’s in order to request permission to bolster her publicly funded campaign with private contributions.

Brewer on Tuesday filed the request as a response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 8 blocking of so-called matching funds. That’s extra money provided publicly funded candidates who are outspent by privately funded rivals or targeted by independent groups.

Brewer would be entitled to nearly $1.4 million of matching funds because of Republican primary election rival Buz Mills’ higher spending.

The state campaign finance commission has said the judge’s order blocks it from allowing publicly funded candidates to replace matching funds with private contributions.