PACs raise money, enemies go door to door

Political action committees aimed at keeping Arizona Supreme Court Justices Clint Bolick and Kathryn King on the bench spent heavily in the last quarter, while a committee to remove the justices is just being formed.

The Judicial Independence Defense PAC, founded in June, has brought in top dollar contributions in the last three campaign finance reporting periods, as has another pro-retention PAC: Arizonans for an Independent Judiciary. Meanwhile, a committee registered in August to oust the judges, Protect Abortion Rights, No Retention Bolick and King, reported no funds or activity in its first campaign finance report.

According to Protect Abortion Rights, No Retention Bolick and King Chairman DJ Quinlan, the committee has been active but only began fundraising and campaigning in the last two weeks. He said they otherwise worked together through partner committees.

Organized campaigns have been relatively rare in the history of judicial races in the state, making the competing efforts an anomaly.

As of Oct. 15, the Judicial Independence Defense PAC raised about $300,000 in contributions between July 14 and Sept. 30, including a $200,000 contribution from billionaire Jeff Yass.

During that time, the PAC spent a total of about $179,220, of which $97,500 went to signs. The PAC is now heading into the general election with about a quarter of a million.

“We have received a lot of support for these efforts. “At the same time, it is a nationwide campaign. With so much going on in Arizona now that the presidential election is coming up, it's very expensive to get a message out,” said Daniel Scarpinatio, spokesman for the Judicial Independence Defense PAC.

“We're going to as many Arizona voters as possible, whether they're of all political parties or of no party, with a very, very simple message: Vote yes to keep every judge on your ballot,” Scarpinato said. “We communicate through digital platforms, through grassroots and acquisition efforts, and try to inform as many people as possible, which is challenging in this environment.”

Arizonans for an Independent Judiciary, a committee dedicated to retaining all judges, raised about $8,950, including a $5,000 contribution from the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry committee Moving Arizona Forward PAC. The committee spent about $11,115 and ended up with a balance of $36,466.

The group vouches for the retention of all judges, but recently condemned “political attacks” on Bolick, King, Appeals Court Judge Angela Paton, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Christopher Coury and Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson.

The only committee formed to oppose the retention of Bolick and King, Protect Abortion Rights, No Retention Bolick and King, reported no activity or donations during this period. But the committee is not idle.

The group posted signs earlier this month saying the campaign received 0% from out-of-state donations and did not list the campaign's top three donors, suggesting they were 100% in-state contributions and there have been no large donations in dollars so far.

Quinlan said the committee operates as a local organization and relies largely on associated committees for funding and campaign activities. He clarified that the blank campaign finance report was due to recent fundraising and campaign activities that occurred after the last deadline.

Quinlan said the bulk of the grassroots campaigning is done through progressive partner committees, namely Future Freedoms, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, Progress Arizona, LUCHA and the Arizona Democratic Party. Protect Abortion Rights, No Withholding Bolick and King limit donations to $5,000.

Similar to the Judicial Independence Defense PAC, Quinlan noted the grassroots focus comes in recognition of a crowded election cycle.

“Nobody on either side of this race will have the resources to engage in a televised campaign for the U.S. Senate and the presidency, and so we've made the strategic choice, so to speak, that is most effective for us: directly with voters to speak door to door,” Quinlan said.

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