Republican Sen. Jon Kyl had more than three times as much cash on hand as his Democratic opponent, Jim Pederson, as Arizona’s U.S. Senate race moved into its final weeks.
According to the quarterly reports filed Oct. 15 with the Federal Election Commission, Mr. Kyl had $5 million in cash on hand, while Mr. Pederson’s campaign reported $1.1 million. The reporting period began Aug. 24 and ended Sept. 30.
Voters will decide Nov. 7 whether to elect Mr. Kyl to a third term or send Mr. Pederson, a Phoenix-area real estate developer, to Washington. Libertarian Richard Mack and two write-in candidates also are on the ballot.
Mr. Kyl’s non-loan contributions for the period amounted to $1.1 million, while Mr. Pederson’s were $2.9 million during the same time frame.
For the entire election cycle through Sept. 30, Mr. Kyl raised $12.4 million, while Mr. Pederson collected a total of $11.1 million — believed to make the race the most expensive in Arizona history.
In all, Mr. Pederson has contributed $8 million to his campaign.
Mr. Kyl’s net operating expenditures were $2.9 million from Aug. 24 through Sept. 30 and $8.9 million since the start of the campaign. Meanwhile, Mr. Pederson’s operating expenditures came to $3.2 million during the reporting period and $10.2 million from the time that the campaign began.
Having cash on hand late in an election campaign enables candidates to purchase last-minute advertising and enhances direct mail, phone bank and other efforts to bring voters out.
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