After spending $3.2 million of his own money on his campaign, Northern Arizona businessman Buz Mills bowed out of the governor’s race, leaving Jan Brewer virtually unopposed in the Republican primary.

State Treasurer Dean Martin dropped out of the governor's race July 9, saying he would stand aside and support Gov. Jan Brewer in her battles with the Obama administration and the federal government. "Governor Brewer is going to need all our help to shoulder the burden of defending Arizona from the federal government. It is our duty to stand together as Arizona residents against an intrusive federal bureaucracy," Martin said in his announcement that he characterized as "suspending" his campaign. "Our state and the residents of Arizona are more important than playing politics."

Yavapai County businessman Buz Mills reports spending nearly $3.2 million in his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor.

She may not have done it in the most grammatically correct way, but Capitol observers are calling the first debate between Republican gubernatorial hopefuls a win for incumbent Jan Brewer.

With Gov. Jan Brewer leading in the polls, Dean Martin and Buz Mills sought to turn her self-proclaimed strengths into her greatest weaknesses. Brewer, in turn, questioned Martin's record and Mills' plans for the state, while all feuded with Matthew Jette, whose positions seemed more fitting for a Democratic debate than a contest between GOP hopefuls.

UPDATE: 6:15 P.M. Brewer and Martin spar over each other’s records. Martin hits her for raising property taxes, while Brewer hits back over Martin’s votes for former Gov. Janet Napolitano’s budgets. Both say the other distorted their records. “We have to be truth tellers tonight, Mr. Martin,” Brewer said. Martin responded: “I think if you’re going to tell the truth, ...

The Citizens Clean Elections Commission decided there is little it can do to help publicly funded candidates who are suddenly without matching funds, and Gov. Jan Brewer won't throw it the lifeline it's asking for either.

The Citizens Clean Elections Commission may consider enacting an emergency clause that would allow publicly funded candidates to raise additional campaign cash, a change that Gov. Jan Brewer's campaign is hoping can alleviate the sudden loss of matching funds.

John Munger dropped out of the 2010 governor’s race, saying he cannot compete with opponents who are getting millions of dollars in public financing for their campaigns. Munger announced his decision on June 1, just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to strike down the matching funds provision of Arizona’s Clean Elections system. Munger said Clean Elections created an ...