As the political arena heats up with primary elections on the horizon, candidates are cracking open their war chests, and it seems the old-school campaign tactic of flooding the streets with yard signs and stuffing mailboxes with flyers still holds weight. According to a report by AZPM, in Arizona's high-stakes Senate race, campaigns are investing heavily in physical media—with Republican Kari Lake outspending her rivals.
Lake has thrown a cool $746,383 into physical media, with $719,853 pouring mostly into mailers. Her Republican counterpart, Mark Lamb, spent a modest $57,018 on physical media,, while over in the Democratic camp, Ruben Gallego has shelled out $484,281, mostly on direct mail costs. Despite dropping out early, Kyrsten Sinema’s campaign still noted $2,323 on "Fundraising Catering & Postage," but steered clear of other physical media expenses.
The digital realm hasn't been neglected either, with candidates dishing out sizeable sums for online visibility. Gallego's digital efforts topped the charts with $1,094,184 spent, dwarfing Lake's $423,469. Even Sinema bumped up her game here, earmarking $185,083 for digital expenses before bowing out. Lamb's digital spend, meanwhile, registered at a mere $2,697.
When it comes to opening the floor to donors, campaigns are pulling out all the stops with glitzy events. Lake's over-the-top shindig at Mar a Lago set her campaign back $21,638, a drop in the ocean compared to the nearly $1.3 million that political hopefuls have funneled into the Trump-owned club. Gallego's campaign parted with $38,019 on similar events, and Sinema played host with $7,157 spent on events before calling it quits.
But the spending doesn't stop at billboards and banquets. "Paid media", encompassing the likes of TV and radio ads, also carved out a chunk of the campaign budgets, with Gallego's campaign leading the charge at a whopping $1,580,494. Sinema spent nothing in this area, while Lake and Lamb’s campaigns have been more conservative with their ad buys and production costs. Consulting fees are another significant expense, with Lake’s campaign paying out $760,079 and Lamb’s fork over $170,932 to strategists.
With previous buzz from political analyst Mike Noble hinting that a campaign’s last 30 days are crucial, the burn rate—how much money a campaign has blown through—can be a telltale factor of its potential for success or failure. According to the campaign finance reports analyzed by AZPM, Lamb has incinerated approximately 84% of his income, whereas Lake has a slightly more conservative burn at 56%. Gallego’s campaign, unchallenged in the primaries, has emptied its pockets of 60% of funds raised. Sinema, on the other hand, walked away spending only 41% of what her campaign managed to gather.
