The troubled Republican Party of Arizona is coming clean about its disastrous finances.
Party officials acknowledged having “a shortage of cash-flow and donations up until the end of 2023,” according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission this week that Raw Story reviewed.
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The Arizona GOP also told federal regulators that “rent for multiple months of 2023” wasn’t paid until January of this year.
The admissions follow the FEC questioning the Arizona GOP about its finances in a letter last month.
The FEC asked about the committee’s administrative, salary and insurance expenses as reported in mandated federal filings from October, November and December.
The back-and-forth between the Arizona GOP and FEC underscore the party’s broader turmoil in the midst of an election year where Arizona is a presidential swing state — with Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump equally primed to win.
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The Arizona GOP voted last month to sell the $1.9 million Phoenix headquarters it bought nine months ago.
Meanwhile, in January, Jeff DeWit resigned as chair after a secret audio recording leaked of him appearing to offer a bribe for fervent Trump backer and U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake to leave the race. Lake has been mentioned as a potential pick by Trump to be his vice presidential running mate.
Kelli Ward, DeWit’s predecessor, spent money lavishly and, some said, foolishly during her time as chair.
Gina Swoboda, the current chair, was an organizer of the 2020 Trump campaign in Arizona who promoted major discrepancies in voting that were later proven false.
She is tasked with getting the committee back on track in what could be a pivotal state in this year’s presidential election.
In its response to the FEC this week, the Arizona GOP said staff salaries weren’t included in the federal filings in question because nobody spent more than 25 percent of their time on federal elections — as opposed to state races, which the FEC does not regulate.
Money, including the “shortage of cash flow” mentioned in the FEC filing, left the Arizona GOP trailing the Democrats by a large margin in fundraising last year.
In March, however, Swoboda, told television station KPHO, “The fundraising’s going well. I have no concerns.”
Asked by KPHO about the committee’s first-quarter FEC report, which will be made public soon and will show specific fundraising numbers, Swoboda said, “You’re gonna have to wait and see.”
