Congressman Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-01), who is facing an uphill battle to re-election in a newly drawn congressional district, received a funding boost from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
According to financial disclosures from the Federal Election Commission, Pelosi’s super PAC, PAC to the Future, sent O’Halleran a check for $5,000.
“Nancy Pelosi is bankrolling Tom O’Halleran because he will rubber-stamp her reckless spending policies that are driving the inflation crisis,” said National Republican Congressional Committee Spokeswoman Torunn Sinclair.
Due to the state’s redistricting process, O’Halleran’s district looks different from the one he currently represents. Based on an analysis from The Cook Political Report, the new district leans as “Likely Republican.”
“This election will require a lot of doors knocked, many phone calls made, and all-encompassing voter turnout from Arizonans across our beautiful state. But let me be clear: I want to continue to represent you and your family,” O’Halleran said when announcing his decision to run in the district. I want to build upon the bipartisan work of my office to lower the costs of health care and prescription drugs, to honor our veterans, invest in our infrastructure, protect the sovereignty of tribal communities, and to stand up to attacks on our very democracy. I am running to represent AZ-02 in 2022.”
In addition to Pelosi’s funds, The Arizona Sun Times previously reported that the Democrat accepted money from a PAC that calls on candidates to support measures that “reduce the annual budget for law enforcement and defense spending.”
O’Halleran’s right-leaning district, in conjunction with President Joe Biden’s sinking approval rating, may doom the lawmaker’s political career. Polling has indicated that voters prefer GOP legislators to combat inflation and the ongoing border crisis – two key issues to many Arizona voters.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tom O’Halleran” by v. Photo “Nancy Pelosi” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “United States Capitol” by David Maiolo. CC BY-SA 3.0.
