Kari Lake, a former newscaster and Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate for 2022, has been highly successful in fundraising for her campaign to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) in the upcoming election. Lake’s campaign reported that she raised $4.1 million in the first quarter of this year, which is double the amount she raised in the last fundraising quarter of 2023. As per The Daily Caller, Lake currently holds approximately $2.5 million in cash reserves. On the other hand, the Democratic candidate, Ruben Gallego, raised $7.5 million in the first quarter and has $9.6 million in his campaign account, surpassing his Republican rival in terms of funds, the report further highlighted.

“Kari Lake doubled her fundraising haul from last quarter. She is seeing strong from grassroots donors and Arizona donors,” a Lake campaign spokesperson noted in a statement. “Gallego is Far-Left, and out of step with Arizonans. Just like President Trump, Kari is performing strong in Arizona and will win in November.”

Lake’s campaign successfully raised $1.3 million through a total of 40,000 contributions. These contributions were made by approximately 22,000 individual donors. The majority of the donations were small dollar amounts, with 99% of them being under $200. It is worth noting that the campaign was able to collect contributions from all 50 states in the US, as well as from Guam, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.

In a specific fundraising event held on March 6 in Washington, D.C., Lake managed to raise an impressive $330,000. This event took place the day after independent Sinema announced that she would not be seeking re-election. Additionally, within the 24 hours following Sinema’s announcement, Gallego’s campaign was able to gather $1 million in donations.

Throughout the fundraising period, Lake received support from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). Furthermore, she received endorsements from various GOP Senators, including Tommy Tuberville from Alabama, Josh Hawley from Missouri, J.D. Vance from Ohio, Rand Paul from Kentucky, Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma, and Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming.

In the final quarter of 2023, Lake’s campaign successfully raised $2.1 million, commencing the election year with slightly over $1 million available for campaign activities, as stated in the records of the Federal Election Commission. In contrast, Gallego’s campaign managed to raise $3.3 million during the same period and had $6.5 million prepared for utilization, as reported by the Caller.

Based on a survey conducted by the Bullfinch Group on Friday, Lake and Gallego are tied at 41 percent, while an additional 10 percent expressed support for an unnamed independent candidate. On March 20, an Emerson College poll indicated that Gallego held a four-point lead, with 16% of voters still undecided.

According to the Caller, the Cook Political Report categorizes the race for Sinema’s seat as a “Toss Up” for 2024, along with Senate races in Montana, Nevada, and Ohio. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has also publicly endorsed Lake:

“Kari has proven that she will always prioritize the security and well-being of Arizonans and the American people and will not back down from a fight. I am proud to endorse her for the U.S. Senate today,” Cruz said.