Wealthy businessman Jim Lamon is poised to report a more than $7 million war chest to invest in his bid for the Republican nomination for Senate in Arizona after pouring $5 million into his campaign in the first quarter.
Lamon’s first-quarter filing with the Federal Election Commission, due April 15, is expected to show additional contributions from outside donors, his campaign revealed to the Washington Examiner on Thursday. The debut candidate is embroiled in a competitive primary as a handful of Republicans battle for the right to challenge Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in November.
Recent polls show Lamon in contention, suggesting the candidate is enjoying a positive return on an investment of personal funds totaling $13 million so far. The Lamon campaign claims its own internal polling shows the businessman climbing from 9% support among Republican primary voters in December to 22% recently.
“Voters view him as the most credible candidate on immigration and election integrity — the two top issues among Republican primary voters in Arizona,” a campaign memorandum reads.
Lamon has raised a total of just under $1 million from outside donors. The rest of his resources have come courtesy of his own bank account.
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The top Republicans in the Aug. 2 Senate primary include Lamon; state attorney general Mark Brnovich; venture capitalist Blake Masters; Mick McGuire, the former adjutant general of the Arizona National Guard; and state corporation commissioner Justin Olson. McGuire and Olson have yet to gain traction. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump opposes Brnovich because he blames the state attorney general in part for his loss to President Joe Biden in Arizona in 2020.
That has shifted recent attention in this campaign to Lamon and Masters (internal Lamon polling shows Brnovich dropping to 23% support among GOP primary voters since December and Masters lingering in the teens, although a pro-Masters super PAC has a recent survey showing the candidate doing significantly better). The Lamon campaign, touting key endorsements, in addition to the candidate’s proven willingness to self-fund, likes its chances.
Lamon’s supporters include the National Border Patrol Council, the union of federal Border Patrol agents; Brandon Judd, president of the NBPC; the National Association of Police Organizations; the Arizona Police Association; the Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs; Richard Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence under Trump; plus four additional former Trump administration officials.
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The Lamon campaign also believes it has an edge in grassroots organizing, with seven field offices across Arizona, “tens of thousands” of voter contacts being logged weekly, and targeted Hispanic outreach.
In related activities, Lamon has been advertising on Spanish language radio in Arizona and will soon launch its first round of advertising on Spanish-language television networks Univision and Telemundo.
