How money is shaping Arizona's superintendent race

By Stacy Mantle
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Arizona's superintendent of public instruction race has attracted more than $1.3 million in campaign fundraising and nearly $200,000 in outside spending, according to the latest campaign finance filings.

Republican Tom Horne continues to hold the largest overall campaign war chest, while Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz outraised every candidate during the second-quarter reporting period. The filings also reveal significant independent spending targeting  Republican Kimberly Yee by GOP-aligned groups.

Campaign finance filings show Horne has raised more than $878,000 through 159 reported contribution entries, outpacing every other candidate in the race. Ruiz has raised about $271,000 through more than 3,200 contribution entries, followed by Democrat Brett Newby at about $127,000, nearly all of it from candidate and family loans. Yee reported about $54,000 in fundraising during the reporting period, although her committee retains more than $245,000 in cash transferred from previous campaign committees. 

Horne also maintains the largest campaign reserve with about $389,000 available heading into the final weeks before the July 21 primary.

“A large number of people have contributed because they like what I’m doing, working hard to help the schools raise their academics,” said Horne. “Before I was elected to statewide office in 2002, I had a successful law practice, so I also have resources to put personal money into it.”

Independent expenditures

One of the more notable figures in the campaign finance reports involves independent expenditures — money spent by outside organizations rather than candidate committees. By law, independent expenditures cannot be coordinated with a candidate or the candidate's campaign and are commonly used by political action committees and other organizations to pay for advertising, mailers and voter outreach.

Outside groups reported $199,990 in independent expenditures opposing Yee, compared with $4,910.40 opposing Horne. No independent expenditures were reported against Ruiz, Newby or the other candidates during the reporting period.

The Republican primary drew significant outside spending. Arizonans for Election Integrity spent $199,990 on television advertising opposing Yee, including a controversial ad that referred to her as the "Empress of DEI," drawing criticism from Horne, Yee and several advocacy organizations. 

Campaign finance records show the committee received a $200,000 contribution on June 25 from the Virginia-based Super PAC Conservatives for Effective Government, which had received a $200,000 contribution from Massachusetts-based Per Aspera Policy Inc. earlier that same day.

Horne publicly condemned the advertisement, saying he had no involvement with the committee or its messaging. Federal campaign finance records show funding for the ad passed through multiple political committees before reaching Arizonans for Election Integrity, which purchased the television advertising. 

A look at strategies

While Horne and Yee continue to report larger cash-on-hand balances, Ruiz's campaign noted those totals include funds carried over from previous campaigns, with Yee transferring money from earlier campaign accounts and Horne benefiting from funds carried over from previous campaigns as well as candidate loans.

Ruiz, who entered the race without an existing statewide campaign account, said her campaign has been built through individual donor support and reported a lower spending rate than her opponents during the quarter. 

“Our campaign is proud to have more donors than all of my opponents combined,” Ruiz said. “It’s a signal of the excitement and momentum that we’ve built by visiting all 15 counties and engaging with people who are often overlooked by politicians.”

Among Democratic candidates, the filings suggest different campaign strategies.

Ruiz's campaign said she raised more than $95,000 during the second quarter and more than $270,000 overall this election cycle, outpacing both Republican candidates in current fundraising. 

“A broad, grassroots donor base is an indicator of a healthy campaign and something my opponents don’t have,” Ruiz said. “This is a truly a people-powered campaign and we are so humbled by the support we have received. The fact that I have more supporters than two people who have been in politics for decades should be a clear signal that Arizona is eager for change and ready to elect an educator.”

Ruiz's filings contain the largest number of individual contribution entries among the candidates. Her contribution reports contain more than 3,200 contribution entries, including numerous small-dollar donations and aggregated "multiple contributor" receipts. 

"Despite being a first-time candidate, I’ve actually outraised my opponents this cycle in terms of individual donations,” Ruiz said. “My opponents are career politicians who rolled over funds from previous campaigns." 

Ruiz has spent roughly half of the money her campaign has raised, reporting about $146,000 remaining. Newby, meanwhile, has spent less than $18,000, leaving more than $109,000 available for the closing weeks of the campaign.

The reports also show several candidates relied on personal loans to launch their campaigns. Horne's committee reported loans from both the candidate and candidate committees, while Newby's filings include two loans from the candidate or family members, including an $80,000 loan.

Ruiz's committee also reported a $10,000 candidate loan, several contributions from political action committees and a transfer from another campaign committee. Even with those larger contributions, the filings indicate much of her fundraising came from many individual donors instead of a few large checks.

Conservatives for Effective Government also spent about $60,000 opposing Arizona Republican congressional candidate Joseph Chaplik and contributed $20,000 to Arizona First Fund, a committee involved in the Tempe City Council election, according to federal and Arizona campaign finance records.

All four candidates were contacted for comment. Yee and Newby did not respond before press time. 

Editor’s note: A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Stacy Mantle
Education Solutions Reporter

smantle@iniusa.org

Meet Stacy
Stacy Mantle is joining the team at Independent Newsmedia, Inc. as an Education Solutions journalist, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Community Collaborative. She has a long history in education that ranges from teaching junior high and middle school to developing curriculum and standards-based assessments.

Community: A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Stacy is deeply involved in rescue efforts and volunteers with several nonprofit organizations.

Random Fact: Once upon a time, she shared her home with a pet coyote and two wolf hybrids. The experiences were wild enough to become the subject of her first book!

Education: She holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science, a Post-baccalaureate in Secondary Education, and an MBA with a emphasis on Marketing.

Hobbies: In her spare time, Stacy writes fast-paced urban fantasy novels, crafts small-batch artisan soap, and is always up for hiking or off-roading through the Arizona wilderness with her husband of 23 years.