Democrats Include Arizona in $30 Million Plan to Hold Senate in 2022

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced the Defend the Majority program, an unprecedented $30 million early investment in field programs ahead of the 2022 midterms. The investment includes Arizona and eight other Senate battleground states to build the organizing infrastructure for Senate Democrats’ campaigns.

This is the largest investment in on-the-ground field organizing ever made by the DSCC at this point in the campaign cycle. Initial states include FL, GA, NC, NH, NV, OH, PA, WI, and funding could be added as the cycle continues.

“Senate Democrats are delivering for the American people — now the DSCC is making early and historic investments to defend and expand Democrats’ majority in 2022,” said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Gary Peters.

No real opposition

Senator Mark Kelly faces no significant opposition in his run for re-election. A cluster of 18 unknown  Republicans have filed a statement of interest, plus failed Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.

Brnovich has angered Trump, who has a death grip on the GOP. His lead contenders in the primary are Jim Lamon, Chairman of DEPCOM Power, Inc., who reported $2.2 million in fundraising, and Michael McGuire, the retired adjutant general of the Arizona National Guard.

Meanwhile, Kelly raised $6 million during the second quarter of 2021, surpassing the Democrat’s fundraising during the first three months of the year and during the same time for his first run for the Senate in 2019. More than 85,000 people donated to Kelly from March to June, and the average donation was $32.

The campaign has more than $7 million cash on hand, and the total amount raised for the election cycle has reached more than $10 million.

The sum reflects Kelly’s financial strength headed into the 2022 Senate race, where he will be blanketing the airwaves to help Democrats maintain their narrow majority in the Senate.

Kelly has visited rural counties to inform voters about his support for a bipartisan infrastructure deal and how the bill will assist those in rural Arizona with a variety of issues, including water conservation, utilities, and high-speed internet. Elsewhere, Kelly said he supports “the overall goals” of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or PRO Act, and that he’s open to using budget reconciliation rules to pass parts of it.

The Cyber Ninjas affirmed Kelly’s win in the Maricopa election audit and confirmed that Biden won Arizona.

Defend the Democratic majority

“The stakes in this election have never been higher: if Republicans take the Senate, they’ll take our country backward, and hard-working Americans will pay the price. The midterm election will be a fight for the future of our country, and we look forward to joining with organizers, voters, and communities across the country to win Senate races and defend the Democratic Senate majority Americans are counting on.”

“Early, sustained organizing is how we win elections, and through our ‘Defend the Majority’ program, the DSCC is building the ground game Democrats need to succeed in Senate battlegrounds across the country,” said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Executive Director Christie Roberts. “Our organizing programs are starting earlier than ever before, we’re taking nothing for granted, and by building meaningful relationships with voters now, we are laying the groundwork for Democrats’ victory in 2022.”

Defend the Majority will help fund:

• DSCC field offices.

• Field training programs that will help increase volunteer capacity.

• Organizers focused on building meaningful outreach to communities of color and specific constituencies– including Latino, Black, AAPI, and younger voters.

• Communications staff focused on defining GOP Senate candidates.

• Voter protection staff (as part of the DSCC’s previously announced Defend The Vote Program).

The investment will be made in partnership with Democratic State Parties and coordinated campaigns in each state. The DSCC previously announced it has partnered with Democratic Parties to launch coordinated campaigns so far this cycle in Arizona (Mission For Arizona), New Hampshire (OrganizeNH), and Nevada (Nevada Democratic Victory). These coordinated campaigns have been launched at the earliest point in the campaign cycle in each state’s history.