FEC Report for Sinema’s Third Quarter Shows Her Support Continues to Come Mainly From Big Industry Giants – Private Equity Keeps Thanking Her for Saving the Carried Interest Loophole
Kyrsten Sinema’s fundraising slowed down considerably in the third quarter – but she still managed to raise enough from corporate PACs, C-suite executives, lobbyists, and special interests to cover her luxury travel habit and questionable “security expenses.” Sinema’s latest FEC filing revealed she raised $825,883 (with a $365,096 transfer from her leadership PAC) from her usual set of donors: Wall Street, finance executives, CEOs, and private equity, which continues to thank her for saving them billions with the carried interest loophole.
Corporate airlines also continued to reward Sinema this quarter after she went to bat for their proposal to weaken pilot training standards at the expense of passenger safety. This quarter Sinema also received $33,800 from Big Pharma and over $40,000 from lobbyists.
Among the more colorful characters, Nazi memorabilia collector and Clarence Thomas donor Harlan Crow donated once again this quarter, as did a former pornographer, anti-Semite, and scam artist known as “Evil Elmo.” Evil Elmo, whose real name is Adam Sandler, has given over $1200 to Sinema.
The majority of Sinema’s Q3 filings came from the financial industry. Less than 2% of her total haul came from donors who gave under $200.
It’s worth noting Sinema spent $784,427 in the third quarter, with another $90,000 going to Tulsi Gabbard’s sister Vrindavan Gabbard Bellord for security services. Although Sinema has yet to announce a 2024 run, she spent $400,000 this quarter on ad and fundraising consultants.
Meanwhile, Sinema’s opponent Ruben Gallego raised over $3 million for the third quarter in a row.
Here are additional takeaways from Sinema’s 2023 Q3 filing, as compiled by the Replace Sinema PAC research team:
- Corporate executives: $130,000
- Pharmaceuticals: $33,800
- Telecom: $33,950
- Real Estate Investing: $71,315
- Private Equity: $44,475
- Banking: $19,300
- Credit: $34,330
- Joe Manchin’s leadership PAC: $10,000
- Corporate PACs: (at least) $161,300
- Airline PACs and Executives: $7,165
- Lobbyists: (at least) $40,200
- Oil Companies (incl. Exxon and Chevron): $8,500
Notable expenses:
- Ad consultants: $299K
- Fundraising consultants: $99K
- “Security” expenses: $90K – adding to an eye-popping $700K already given to Vrindivan Gabbard Bellord
- Airfare: $17K
- Lodging: $16K (including various Marriott, W Hotels, New York Edition, etc.)
- Meals: >$4K
“Kyrsten Sinema’s fundraising has slowed down as donors see the writing on the wall: the only thing Sinema will succeed in doing in 2024 is throwing the race to Kari Lake,” said Sacha Haworth, spokesperson for Replace Sinema. “But that hasn’t stopped Sinema from raising just enough from private equity, Wall Street, and other special interests to cover her luxury spending habit and other eyebrow-raising expenses, making it clear that her priority is herself, not Arizonans.”
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 questionable “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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