Race for Congress in Southern Arizona Among Most Expensive

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The race for Congress in Southern Arizona is among the most expensive in the nation, according to a nonpartisan organization.

The 2nd Congressional District race between Democratic incumbent Ron Barber and Republican challenger Martha McSally is the 4th most expensive race in the country, said the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit, national research group.

U.S. Rep. Ron Barber.

U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz.

Congressional District 1, which has Republican Andy Tobin challenging Democratic incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick, is the 6th most expensive race.

Data from the Federal Election Commission and the Center for Responsive Politics shows nearly $12 million has been spent on the CD 2 race so far, including about $7 million by outside groups.

The outside spending in CD 2 is dominated by three entities:

The National Republican Congressional Committee has spent $2 million on behalf of McSally, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has spent nearly $2 million on behalf of Barber.

Americans for Responsible Solutions, the group founded by former congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, and her husband, Mark Kelly, has spent nearly $1.5 million on behalf of Barber.

The two candidates are bringing in plenty of individual contributions, too. According to the latest FEC reports, Barber has $991,000 in the bank and McSally has more than $1 million on hand.

In CD 1, the data shows nearly $11 million has been spent so far, with about $8 million coming from outside groups. That is the most money spent by outside groups anywhere in the country.

U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick.

Arizona Speaker of the House Andy Tobin.

The party committees are also spending heavily in the CD 1 race.

The DCCC has put in $2.7 million dollars on behalf of Kirkpatrick, and the House Majority PAC, which supports Democrats, has added in $1.5 million to the race. The NRCC has spent $3 million on behalf of Tobin.

Part of the reason for the higher outside spending in CD 1 is the city of Phoenix.

Supporters and detractors of the two candidates must buy ad time in that market, which is more expensive than time in Tucson.

When it comes to individual fundraising, the newest reports from the FEC show Tobin with about $376,000 on hand. Those same reports show Kirkpatrick with about $820,000 in the bank.

The general election is Nov. 4.

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