Republicans ramp up fundraising as Hobbs builds war chest
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Karrin Taylor Robson had the most money in the bank as 2025 came to a close in the Republican primary for governor, Andy Biggs had his best fundraising quarter so far and David Schweikert got a big cash infusion from his old congressional campaign.
- Meanwhile, incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary, has been stockpiling cash while the Republicans vie for their party's nomination.
The big picture: Most GOP primary polls show Biggs with a commanding lead over fellow congressman Schweikert and Robson, a businessperson who sought the Republican nomination in 2022.
By the numbers: Hobbs raised nearly $1.8 million in the last quarter of 2025 and had $6.2 million on hand at the start of this year.
- Robson raised about $703,000 with approximately $1.1 million on hand.
- Biggs raised nearly $694,000 — his best quarter since jumping in the race last January — with about $783,000 on hand.
- And in his first campaign finance report since joining the race last October, Schweikert brought in $872,000 with nearly $279,000 on hand.
Yes, but: $572,000 of Schweikert's total was transferred from his congressional campaign committee, and he loaned himself another $99,000.
- Only $185,000 of his campaign cash came from individual contributors.
- Schweikert campaign consultant Chris Baker told Axios they feel good about his fundraising and expect it to "continue to improve with each passing month."
Zoom in: The campaign's attorneys vetted and approved the transfer from his congressional campaign and certified it was compliant with state and federal law, per Baker.
- He added that it includes ensuring the money complied with differing state and federal contribution limits — the federal limit this election cycle is $7,000 while the state's is $5,500.
The intrigue: All Republican hopefuls have outside groups boosting their fortunes.
- Building a Better Arizona, which launched a year ago to aid Robson's campaign, spent about $450,000, including $300,000 on television ads last month.
- Win Arizona, formed in October, shortly after Schweikert launched his campaign, reported spending $55,000 on advertising in December.
- Turning Point PAC has expended about $459,000 on Biggs' behalf but hasn't reported any spending for him since June.