Right-Wing and Corporate PAC Donations “Made My Blood Boil”

News that special interests dumped big bucks into the Arizona primary “made my blood boil,” said Cathy Sigmon, Co-Founder of Civic Engagement Beyond Voting (CEBV), a grassroots nonpartisan organization.

“We know that Arizona policies have been driven for too long by corporate special interests. We know that everyday people feel overlooked and disadvantaged. We know that our voices are often drowned out by the big bucks that corporations pour into lobbying and sleazy election-year ads and mailers. 

If we want better laws, we need a better legislature. It starts in the primaries, where we elect fighters, not folders,” she said.

She credited TJ L’Heureux of the Arizona Agenda for breaking the story about the gobs of money that corporate interests are pouring into several of Arizona’s key primary battles.

The “Arizona Values Fund” consists of AirBnB, the Arizona Association of Realtors, and APS (Arizona Public Service, the utility giant). A significant contribution also came from Greater Phoenix Leadership, an organization of Arizona’s biggest corporate CEOs and power players.

The fund, established just last month, is sending deceptive mailers on behalf of its favored candidates. “Who do these special interests think will represent their (not your) interests?” Sigmon asked.

Corporate candidates

“Look no farther than Maricopa County’s LD8 and Pima County’s LD20. CEBV has endorsed candidates in both AZ Senate races. Hint: they’re not the ones supported by corporate special interests,” she added.

“If these are your districts, and your ballot envelope is still sitting on your table or kitchen counter, RUN, do not walk, to vote for candidates who aren’t captured by big-buck investors.”

According to the Arizona Agenda, the Arizona Values Fund is a PAC that has been mailing out near-identical flyers in support of a few Democratic candidates: former Rep. Deborah Nardozzi and Reps. Alma and Consuelo Hernandez.

The PAC wasn’t active until June, when it received the following contributions:

• $40,000 from the Responsible Tourism Coalition (which describes itself as “Arizona’s leading short-term rental organization” and received a $700,000 war chest from Airbnb to spend this election cycle)
• $50,000 from the Arizona Association of Realtors
• $25,000 from Arizona Public Service (APS)
• $20,000 from Committee for Arizona Leadership (which takes most of its funding from Greater Phoenix Leadership, an organization of Arizona’s biggest corporate CEOs and power players)

These donors are notorious for supporting Republican, MAGA and anti-consumer candidates.

Corporation Commission Scandals

“While we’re talking about sleazy campaign donations, see the Capitol Times article, Corporation Commission incumbents accept ‘prohibited donations’ despite claims to the contrary. Corporation Commissioners Nick Myers and Kevin Thompson have recorded 212 donations from individuals with ties to utilities that their commission regulates, including some listed as lobbyists.

Thompson owns a consulting business with clients that interact with the Corporation Commission, including a data center. He has been the subject of at least one ethics complaint regarding conflicts of interest. See Corrupt Utility Commissioner Kevin Thompson, Who Shills for Data Centers and Fossil Fuels, Must Resign Immediately.

The primary election process ends on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Only 1 in 10 of the state’s 4.3 million registered voters have already voted as of July 10,