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House candidates in District 11 are among the biggest spenders in legislative races.
GOP candidates Shawnna Bolick and Kate Brophy McGee spent almost identical sums this reporting period, which ran from June 1 to Aug. 4.
Bolick spent $57,434 on her campaign during the reporting period while McGee spent $54,388. Bolick has raised $101,051 to date, while McGee is at $81,063.
Their opponents, Bev Kraft and Eric West are Clean Elections candidates, so they are limited to the $21,479 allotment they got for the primary race.
The U.S. Supreme Court in June temporarily halted matching funds for publicly funded candidates. The court is expected to rule this year about whether the distribution of matching funds is constitutional. Clean Elections candidates in the past received a dollar-for-dollar match if their traditionally funded rivals spent more.
Only House Speaker Kirk Adams, a Mesa Republican running for re-election in Legislative District 19, has outspent Bolick.
Adams spent $48,690 in the two-month period and has spent $155,615 total, leaving Justin Olson in the dust. Olson spent $6,453 in the reporting period and has raised a total of $20,557, which is a relatively normal sum for a legislative primary campaign.
Their GOP opponent, Scott Perkinson, is a Clean Elections candidate who spent $16,420 this period and was left with $311.
Big spending was not confined to Republican races.
In Legislative District 16, where six Democrats are vying for a spot in the general election, Ruben Gallego has spent $67,647 so far, with $49,379 in the latest reporting period.
Three of Gallego’s opponents are Clean Elections candidates. The traditional candidates, Cloves Campbell Jr. and Cristy Lopez have spent a total of $5,762 and $7,086, respectively.