Paton tops Kelly in overall fundraising

Jesse Kelly has edged Jonathan Paton in their latest fundraising report.

Paton, however, still maintained an overall financial advantage over his main opponent in the Republican primary in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District.

Paton, a former legislator and military intelligence officer, has received about $720,000.

Kelly, a U.S. Marines veteran, has pooled in about $569,000.

But Kelly received $79,000 between July 1 and Aug. 4 while Paton took in about $46,000.

For all practical purposes, the three-way GOP primary in southern Arizona is a duel between Kelly and Paton.

The third Republican candidate is Jay Quick, but he doesn’t have the resources to compete.

A fourth candidate, Brian Miller, an Air Force pilot, dropped out of the race earlier this month and threw his weight behind Paton.

But U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords still dominates the fundraising scene.

She has received about $2.4 million as of Aug. 4, about $91,000 of that came in during the latest period.

She still has about $2 million cash on hand at the end of the reporting period.

By the numbers:

Jesse Kelly: $568,372
Spent: $489,392
Cash on hand: $78,980

Jonathan Paton: $719,213
Spent $532,355
Cash on hand: $186,857

Gabrielle Giffords: $2,364,406
Spent: $1,111,224
Cash on hand: $1,922,680