Nearly half-a-million dollars in so-called “dark money” has been spent in the last month-and-a-half to influence Arizona’s legislative primary elections. A recent investigation shows a large portion of that went to one race in western Arizona. Arizona Public Radio’s Justin Regan reports.
The findings from the Arizona Center for Investigative Reportingbreak down the spending of political organizations that don’t disclose donors. About $115,000 of dark money has been pumped into Republican primary races in Legislative District 5. Most of that has gone to help elect state representative Sonny Borrelli to the state senate. He’s backed by groups that support free market values, electric cooperatives and the trucking industry.
Dark money has also trickled into LD7 in Northeastern Arizona. The American Federation for Children, a pro school choice group and major spender statewide, gave about $25,000 to Democratic State Senate Candidate Steven Begay.
The Center for Investigative Reporting expects more money to be spent before Tuesday's election. More than a million dollars of dark money was spent during the 2014 legislative primaries.
