CD1 Fundraising: Kirkpatrick outspends Gosar by $500K

Ann Kirkpatrick

While Democratic U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick and her opponent, Republican Paul Gosar, have brought in nearly the same amount of money over the past three months, Kirkpatrick has reached into her much deeper coffers, outspending Gosar nearly 4-to-1 in the same period.

In the fight over Arizona’s 1st Congressional District seat, Kirkpatrick brought in roughly $278,000 from Aug. 5 to Sept. 30, while at the same time Gosar, a dentist, raised about $257,000.

However, Kirkpatrick has raised more than $1 million more than Gosar to date, giving her the ability to spend much more in the final run up to the Nov. 2 election. And with roughly $453,000 left, Kirkpatrick’s cash on hand is almost quadruple Gosar’s $117,388, indicating that the spending trend will likely continue.

“There’s no magic, no tricks,” said Michael Frias, a spokesman for Kirkpatrick. “Campaigns are intended to raise and spend money. That’s what we’ve done and what we’re going to do.”

Kirkpatrick spent about $695,000 during the latest quarter, compared to Gosar’s $180,000.

The difference in spending over the past three months shows how worried the Kirkpatrick campaign is, said JP Twist, a spokesman for the Gosar campaign.

“It’s going to cost Kirkpatrick a whole lot more money to keep her seat than it’s going to cost us to take it,” Twist said. “She’s spending so much more than we are, and it’s not working. She should really be updating her resume.”

Twist echoed Frias about the nature of campaigns, saying the Gosar campaign is very focused right now on bringing in money so they can turn around and spend it on messaging.

Gosar:

Total raised: $671,181
Total spent: $553,793
Cash on hand: $117,388

Kirkpatrick:

Total raised: $1,705,542
Total spent: $1,272,660
Cash on hand: $452,721