The Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) revealed a 348 percent increase in its quarterly fundraising in a press release on Tuesday. In total, the Arizona Republicans raised more than $300,000 in the third quarter of 2023, which the party added is nearly $100,000 more than it raised under similar conditions in 2019.
AZGOP reported raising $340,597 from more than 2,700 donors, with at least one donor in all 50 states and an average donation of $126.15, according to its preliminary results from last quarter. The fundraising marks a positive turn for the state party, which as of August 31 reported having just over $31,000 cash on hand.
In a statement, Arizona Republican Party Chairman Jeff DeWit acknowledged that “[i]t takes a little while for any new Chairman and executive team to get their footing” but said the party’s “outreach has shown the base that we are using our resources wisely and efficiently” by “building the infrastructure that will win races.”
According to DeWit (pictured above), the fundraising boost proves “rank and file Republicans, as well as the donor community, are happy with what they’ve seen” under his tenure, and the chairman extended credit to executive board members Christine Ong Cothrun, Gina Swoboda, and Elijah Norton for the turnaround.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AZGOP Quarterly Fundraising Increases 348%
Full press release ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/M66MTtjEhH
— Arizona Republican Party (@AZGOP) October 3, 2023
AZGOP compared the fundraising haul to the third quarter of 2019, which it noted was the first year of a former chair’s tenure and during the 2020 presidential election cycle. The party cited a 37 percent increase over the same period in 2019 when it raised $248,120.
The party also noted that in 2019 the Republican National Committee contributed $341,085 to the AZGOP and added that “so far this year, the RNC has not sent the AZGOP any money.”
Last month, Republican consultant Chris Baker, who The Arizona Mirror reported works for U.S. Representative David Schweikert (R-AZ-01), said it was “inevitable” for the Arizona Republicans to “go broke,” advising DeWit to prioritize “donor outreach” to “make the case – publicly or privately – that this is a new regime, and we’re going to be laser-focused on electing Republicans.”
Similarly, Arizona pollster Paul Bentz told liberal cable network MSNBC that “[w]hen you look at the money, certainly the Republicans are struggling” in July, and political consultant Chuck Coughlin blamed a “diminished” donor class combined with increased competition for donations from Turning Point USA and its affiliated groups.
“Turning Point has become this alternative organization, that has been recruiting contributors and volunteers and all of that type of activity,” said Coughlin in September, adding that the group “sort of leaves the state GOP going what’s our role.”
DeWit promised to “drastically improve fundraising” in his pitch to become the AZGOP chair and was a top staffer for the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns of former President Donald Trump.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Georgia Star News and a reporter for the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Arizona Capitol” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
