Cherny has massive war chest for TV blitz

Treasurer candidates Andrei Cherny (left), a Democrat, and Doug Ducey (right), a Republican.

Without a primary to drain his campaign cash, Democratic treasurer nominee Andrei Cherny has a massive war chest as he prepares to launch a spate of television ads in time for early voting.

As of Sept. 13, Cherny had about $460,000 on hand, according to a recently filed campaign finance report. The former prosecutor raised just $20,000 in the five-week fundraising period but spent even less, and spokesman Bill Scheel said Cherny is saving his war chest for major television buys once early voting begins Oct. 7.

Scheel said voters want more information about the candidates before they make their decisions, so Cherny will run ads focusing on his prosecutorial background. But he also plans ads showing the “contrast” between himself and Republican opponent Doug Ducey, Scheel said, including information about Ducey’s late payment of property taxes and late filing of business records from his days as CEO and Cold Stone Creamery.

“The good news with the cash on hand is we’ve got the ability to do both,” Scheel said.

Ducey, who, unlike Cherny, had a competitive primary, has spent a jaw-dropping $607,000 so far and had just $12,889 on hand at the end of the reporting period.

Sara Mueller, Ducey’s campaign spokeswoman, wouldn’t say how Ducey’s fundraising had fared since the end of the reporting period, but said the campaign hoped to run television ads when early voting began as well.

“We’re still planning our strategy for messaging and a lot of that will be dependent on the amount of money we’re able to raise, which his why we’re working so hard at it,” Mueller said.

Mueller wouldn’t say whether Ducey planned to put any more of his own cash into his campaign, saying only that he was focused on his fundraising efforts. Ducey spent $185,000 of his own money on his four-way primary.

Scheel said he expects Ducey to continue self-funding for the general election.

“In the primary he indicated a willingness to spend a lot of his own money. We assume that will be his strategy in the general election as well,” he said.

Cherny and Ducey have raised a surprisingly large amount of money for the usually obscure treasurer’s race. Cherny, a former White House staffer in the Clinton administration, has raised $554,000 so far and has been able to conserve his war chest because he ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination. As of the end of the last reporting period he had spent $94,000.

Ducey has an advantage in his ability to self fund, but has raised a substantial amount as well, pulling in about $435,000 in outside contributions.