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The best attack ads money can buy failed to convince voters to unseat Sen. John McComish, R-Phoenix, tonight’s vote tally showed. Opponents spent more than $300,000 to defeat the Republican in what turned out to be the most expensive legislative race in recent memory.

Voters rallied behind a proposal that is meant to check wild swings in property tax bills, the initial count by the Secretary of State’s Office shows.

Backers of an initiative to permanently keep a 1-cent tax increase spent more than $2 million but failed to convince the public to support the proposal. The measure, officially known as Proposition 204, received only about 35 percent of the votes, the Secretary of State’s Office count showed.

A coalition of Democratic groups and unions, including the state’s largest teachers’ association, funded two political committees that have spent more than $1 million against five Republican candidates for the Senate in the last few weeks.

A Senate leader today vigorously defended Sen. Frank Antenori from allegations he asked a Republican committee, through Senate President Steve Pierce, to spend money on his race.

With less than a week to go before Nov. 6, the spending by outside groups against five Republican candidates alone is already unprecedented in state history: nearly $800,000.

A proposal that seeks to prevent wild swings in property tax bills is encountering a late surge of opposition from tax consultants, who argue it would create inequities among property owners.

A Democratic candidate for the Senate said Rep. John Fillmore, R-Apache Junction, called him to offer negative information against Sen. Rich Crandall, R-Mesa, who defeated Fillmore in the Republican primary last August.

The dueling campaigns over an initiative to keep a one-penny tax increase are awash with cash.

The No New Taxes, No on Prop 204 campaign has collected nearly $900,000 in October alone.

A newly-created independent expenditure committee is making a big push — and creating a huge splash — to help defeat Republicans in hotly-contested Senate races.

The spending appeared to be timed for early voting, which started on Oct. 11.