Hourly Update

Goldwater qualifies for public funding - has one week to spend it

PHOENIX -- Republican gubernatorial hopeful Don Goldwater is going to be getting public financing for his campaign -- but not until next Tuesday. The Secretary of State's Office said Friday that a review of all the $5 donations Goldwater submitted found that he had at least 4,200 that came from registered voters. That is the bare minimum required to give him the $453,849 in public funding. Technically, he doesn't get the cash until the next business day, which is Tuesday. But Todd Lang, director of the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, said Goldwater is legally free to sign contracts immediately because he is guaranteed the cash. Goldwater told Capitol Media Services most of the cash will go to last-minute television ads. Goldwater said that he was able to use some leftover "seed money" to actually produce a couple of 30-second commercials but, until now, could not even approach the stations to buy time to run them. Other funds will be used for radio commercials and some direct mail to likely Republican voters. The cash infusion could prove invaluable to Goldwater who is in what may be a tight race with Len Munsil to be the party's standard-bearer against incumbent Democrat Janet Napolitano. A recent statewide poll by KAET-TV, the Phoenix PBS affiliate, showed Goldwater would get more votes in the general election than Munsil. But Sean Noble, campaign manager for Munsil, he said a new survey by Rasmussen Reports actually gives his candidate a slight edge over Goldwater in a head-to-head race against Napolitano. Both polls, however, show that whoever survives the GOP primary is likely to lose. Munsil, who qualified for public financing in early May, is planning to launch his own 60-second commercial next week at a cost of $220,000. Noble said that ad, which cost $10,000 to produce, is designed to inform those who have yet to cast early ballots about "Munsil's vision for Arizona." Goldwater and Munsil need not only to spend the money to win the primary but also to comply with the law: Publicly financed candidates must use every dollar they get for the primary by Sept. 12. Napolitano, facing the same Sept. 12 deadline, also is trotting out two 60-second TV commercials next week. Campaign publicist Jeanine L'Ecuyer said those two ads, which cost $65,000 to produce, will feature testimonials from Arizonans who will say why they like what the governor is doing; the TV time is costing $220,000. The incumbent got the same $453,849 in public funding as Munsil even though she has no primary race. She will get another $680,774 for the general election. That same amount will be available to Munsil or Goldwater if either is nominated. Republicans Mike Harris and Gary Tupper are relying on private donations and their own cash to win the primary. But neither have anywhere close to that much. New finance reports show that out of $161,083 in receipts and in-kind contributions to Harris' bid, all but $3,883 came from the candidate himself. And the campaign is running low on cash: Late Wednesday, Harris vacated the Scottsdale office that his gubernatorial effort was sharing with a company he owns. That occurred just hours before a court hearing on a lawsuit by his landlord to evict him. Shane Cayo, a campaign aide, said Harris has set up shop in his home and will finish his primary bid there. But the decision to vacate the office at Scottsdale Fashion Square doesn't end his financial problems. At a hearing Thursday, Katherine Cheney told Maricopa County Court Commissioner Phemonia Miller that the eviction lawsuit will be amended to charge breach of contract. Specifically, she wants Harris to pay the $2,514 a month rent for July and August as well as late charges and penalties called for in the least that total another $770. Cayo said Harris has made a deal with the attorney and will be making payments as cash becomes available. Gary Tupper, the other GOP gubernatorial hopeful running with private funds, is spending nowhere near as much as Harris: He reported $18,371 in contributions -- all but about $1,400 from himself. Libertarian Barry Hess who is unopposed in his party's primary, also is using private dollars. He has slightly more than $1,900 in donations.