Sinema received almost $40,000 from Big Oil
Last week Kyrsten Sinema filed with the FEC, raising $1,650,611 (including a $726,159 transfer from Sinema Leadership Fund) from her usual set of donors: Wall Street, private equity firms, finance executives, and CEOs. It also comes as no surprise that Sinema received an influx of cash from corporate airlines this quarter, at least $55,000, after she went to bat for their proposal to weaken pilot training standards at the expense of passenger safety. This quarter, Sinema also received nearly $40,000 from Big Oil, including Exxon, Chevron, and Phillips66.
The majority of Sinema’s Q2 filings came from corporate executives, with CEO being the top occupation of her donors and almost no donations from everyday Arizonans.
Meanwhile, Sinema’s opponent Ruben Gallego had another solid quarter, raising $3.1 million without taking a single dollar from corporate PACs.
Here are additional takeaways from Sinema’s 2023 Q2 filing, as compiled by the Replace Sinema PAC research team:
- Top donors were “CEOs”: $126,025
- Sinema’s private equity donors maxed out, again.
- $23,100: Blackstone employees
- $5,000: Carlyle Group
- $800: KKR
- Corporate PACs: (at least) $250,300
- Airline PACs and Executives: $54,800
- Lobbyists: (at least) $11,200
- Oil Companies (incl. Exxon and Chevron): $36,900
- Fox (Murdoch): $7,500
Notable expenses:
- Security: $171,026
- $2,900 disgorged to Nishad Singh at the behest of the DOJ
“Sinema’s new fundraising report shows she’s lagging behind Ruben Gallego in support from everyday Arizonans—all the while raking in cash from Wall Street and corporate lobbyists who are counting on her to do their bidding,” said Sacha Haworth, spokesperson for Replace Sinema. “Arizonans are ready for honest, trustworthy leadership that represents their needs, not the needs of Wall Street, corporations, and billionaires.”
In May, based on reports that Sinema spent campaign funds on luxury hotels, car services, private jets, high-end restaurants, wine, and in pursuit of her athletic hobby, the Replace Sinema PAC filed a 27-page formal FEC complaint against Sinema for illegal campaign spending. As one Arizona ethics expert said: “When I read this FEC complaint, I was shocked – and I’ve seen a lot of political corruption in my life.” The complaint also raised questions about a $700,000 disbursement to her friend Tulsi Gabbard’s sister Vrindavan Gabbard Bellord for ongoing security services. The Replace Sinema PAC then launched a digital ad highlighting the spending scandal.
This is not the only formal complaint lodged against Sinema: a 37-page handbook for her Senate staff leaked last year detailed the amount of time she allotts for constituent meetings (3 minutes) versus that for lobbyists (20 minutes), her weekly hour-long appointments with the Senate personal masseuse, and her unwillingness to work past 6:30 pm. The handbook prompted an ethics complaint filed by 13 organizations for her alleged abuse of staff, including requiring them to do her grocery shopping, make sure she is fed at all times, and fix her internet.
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