Shadegg kicks up fundraising in last quarter, reports say

Arizona Congressman John Shadegg cranked up his fundraising efforts last quarter after a lackluster showing earlier this year, and he now holds a thin margin over Democratic challenger Bob Lord.

Campaign finance reports released Monday show Republican Shadegg raised $312,523 from April through June, significantly better than his take of $19,338 in the first three months of this year.

The six-time congressman also reported having about $281,000 in unspent cash, enough to hold a slim lead over Lord, a political newcomer who had about $230,000 remaining.

“Clearly, I caught him flat foot in the first quarter,” said Lord, a Phoenix tax attorney. “But I have no doubt that by the time we get to the election, he’ll have a lot more money than me.”

Lord said he’s hoping to raise $2 million in Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District,

where Republicans hold a large registration advantage. State figures show there are about 142,500 registered Republicans and about 88,500 Democrats in the district that covers parts of Scottsdale, north Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Carefree and Cave Creek.

But with almost 80,000 independent voters, the district could be up for grabs in the 2008 election, and money will be a key factor. Although Shadegg raised more cash in the past three months, his numbers were still far below his fundraising efforts in prior elections. At the same point during the 2006 election cycle, Shadegg had about $341,000 in unspent money. Calls to Shadegg’s campaign were not immediately returned.

In 2006, Shadegg was reelected with about 55 percent of the vote, according to state records. In the 2004 presidential election, the district tilted heavily for President Bush, who took about 58 percent of the vote. But that doesn’t guarantee a Republican victory in 2008.

“I think any Republican should be going into this election cycle with their eyes wide open,” said Doug Cole, a longtime Republican political consultant. “As it looks now, it could be another tough year for Republicans.”

But with nearly 18 months until the next federal election, Cole said there was a lot of time for the GOP to change its political momentum.

Likewise, Cole and other Republican strategists cast off Shadegg’s less-than-stellar fundraising performance in the first three months of this year as somewhat expected. Experts said many campaign donors were tapped out from the previous election.

Additionally, donors were being pressed hard to give to other candidates, including GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain. That left little money for donors to give to congressional candidates.

Monday’s campaign finance reports also confirmed that McCain’s fundraising had dropped off significantly. He reported having about $200,000 left over — far less than other leading Republican presidential hopefuls.

Meanwhile, most of Arizona’s incumbent congressmen reported strong fundraising efforts. One exception was Rep. Rick Renzi, who is under federal investigation. The Republican reported having about $20,000 cash on hand and debts totaling $456,024.