Among several things for Democrats to cheer in the third-quarter fundraising totals is the fact that Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona turned in notably weak totals shortly after notably weak polling cast doubt on a potential reelection bid.
Sinema's third-quarter haul was just $826,000, roughly half her $1.7 million second-quarter draw, according to Politico. Should Sinema decide to seek reelection, her Democratic challenger in the race, Rep. Ruben Gallego, raised more than $3 million in the third quarter, counting more than 56,000 donors and an average donation of $28 from 106,000 contributions.
Polling of the race also suggests tough sledding for Sinema, who hasn't officially announced her intent to run.
In a survey commissioned by Gallego and conducted by Public Policy Polling, Gallego received a 41% plurality of the vote in a potential matchup against GOP election denier and failed 2022 gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake at 36%, with Sinema garnering just 15% of the vote.
The outcomes were fairly similar when PPP tested a three-way race between Gallego, Sinema, and either Republican Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb or GOP election denier Blake Masters, who failed to unseat Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly last cycle. In both scenarios, Gallego won with a roughly 40% plurality. The PPP survey also jibed with other recent polling of the race.
Gallego also prevailed in a head-to-head matchup with the Trump-endorsed Lake, 48%-43%, but with 9% undecided.
No matter which way you slice it, Sinema and the iron grip on Senate Democrats she shared with Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia appears to be tenuous at best, or potentially doomed.
Get out the vote in 2023, and help us defeat Donald Trump in 2024. Check out the Daily Kos GOTV Page to get plugged into all the effective volunteer opportunities available.
While the House continues to be in crisis from the fall of Kevin McCarthy and the Republican Conference’s inability to unite around a new candidate, the 2024 Congressional races are well underway. Daily Kos Elections’ own Jeff Singer joins us to run through some of the notable developments in the most competitive races, including George Santos’s ongoing legal drama and Nancy Mace’s strange theatrics.