Key Point:

• Robson reports $575,000 in individual donations and $2,500 from PACs

• Biggs receiving outside funding support from political action committees

• Incumbent Democrat Katie Hobbs has nearly $4.7 million cash on hand

Karrin Taylor Robson has edged out Andy Biggs in campaign fundraising for their upcoming bid for the Republican nominee for governor in 2026.

However, the donations tell only part of the story as each hopes to take on incumbent Democrat Katie Hobbs, who is seeking another four-year term.

New reports filed on July 21 show Robson, who made an unsuccessful bid to become the GOP nominee in 2022, listing nearly $575,000 in individual donations and another $2,500 from political action committees.

Biggs, a former state senator and now a member of Congress, had about $429,000 in donations. He also has $50,000 left over from a former campaign for the Legislature.

Robson, however, reports she loaned her campaign more than $2.2 million in the past quarter following an extensive media campaign that virtually all of it touting her endorsement from Donald Trump. In fact, her report states that it has spent $2.2 million on advertising.

So, even with that self-borrowed money, her cash on hand is now about $876,000.

This isn’t the first time Robson, who has never held elected office, has self-funded an election. She loaned herself $16.9 million in 2022 in her unsuccessful bid to be the GOP nominee, only to lose to Kari Lake — who, in turn, lost the general election to Hobbs.

Biggs, off to a slower start, spent only about $180,000 in the past three months, with most of that amount going toward mailing services and consultants. That leaves him with about $437,000 in the bank.

But Biggs has the lead on something that doesn’t show up in his report: Spending on his behalf.

Turning Point Action, which supports conservative candidates, reported it has already spent nearly $459,000 on behalf of Biggs. That includes $352,00 for TV ads.

Much of the PAC’s funds were funneled through 1Ten LLC, owned by state Sen. Jake Hoffman, a Queen Creek Republican who heads the Arizona Freedom Caucus. Hoffman describes his operation as a full-service agency handling everything from TV, radio and cable TV ads to social media and mail.

These independent expenditures are not subject to state law limitations. There is only a requirement they be listed and that the organizations behind them cannot coordinate with the candidate.

Robson is also getting the benefit of outside spending, this from Building a Better Arizona, a political action committee that was formed specifically to help Robson get the nomination. Former state Senate President Karen Fann chairs it.

In a January press release, Fann said she and Robert Graham, former chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, believe Robson has the best chance of ousting the incumbent, something that “has not happened in over 60 years.”

In her own report, Hobbs reported receipts of $1.3 million. That includes nearly $53,000 from Copper State Values, a separate political action committee set up to spend money on her behalf for election related “shared expenses.”

Her spending in the past quarter was close to $810,000, leaving her with nearly $4.7 million cash on hand.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the dollar amount of Biggs’ campaign donations.