RURAL ARIZONA STIMULUS PACKAGE

PHOENIX, October 21 – IE groups are cranking up their electioneering activities with only two weeks left before the general election. However, unlike the pitched battles of two years ago that saw nearly $3 million pumped into legislative races during the general election, IE activity this year appears to have been dwarfed by what was spent during the primaries. Still, independent groups are making their voices heard in a few competitive districts. In the LD6 Senate race, IE groups have already spent more than $143,000, with the IE money favoring Sylvia Allen over Tom O’Halleran almost two-to-one. Pro-Allen and anti-O’Halleran spending has reached $93,000, while spending for O’Halleran and against Allen totals only $50,000. The major players backing Allen include the pro-school-choice American Federation for Children, which has spent almost $10,000 boosting Allen and more than $30,000 bashing O’Halleran, who’s running as an independent. Sen. President Andy Biggs’ Senate Victory PAC spent another $20,000 in support of Allen and $10,000 against O’Halleran. Meanwhile, the Arizona Free Enterprise Club forked out $10,000 to back Allen. The Center for Arizona Policy PAC also put a modest $6,000 into backing the Republican candidate. The only IE spending on O’Halleran’s behalf came from the Arizona Accountability Project, which split its spending evenly between backing O’Halleran and attacking Allen.