By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — There’s less than 100 days until Arizona voters pick a governor, and Rep. Andy Biggs, the Republican nominee, has the numbers. But his Democratic opponent, Gov. Katie Hobbs, has the money.
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Biggs starts the general election with a structural advantage. Arizona has more than 300,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats — a reality that gives any GOP nominee a favorable baseline. But campaigns still must communicate, and the central issue looming over Biggs’ effort is whether he can afford to tell his story statewide over the next three months.
Stark differences in ad strategies
The gap is already visible in how voters are seeing, or not seeing, campaign advertisements.
Biggs recently rolled out a new attack ad, but it isn’t running on television. Instead, his campaign pushed the 30-second spot directly to social media, a far cheaper route than a traditional broadcast buy.
By contrast, Gov. Hobbs is already filling the airwaves. Her campaign has multiple ads, including attack and issue-focused spots, airing in regular rotation as part of a multi-million-dollar television purchase.
Finances lopsided
Campaign finance reports underscore the imbalance.
According to the latest filings, Hobbs raised and spent roughly five times more than Biggs through the primary. Hobbs reported spending more than $11 million, compared with Biggs’ $2.4 million.
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Still, Republican consultant Marcus Dell’Artino argues the public may be looking in the wrong place if they focus only on Biggs’ official campaign committee.
He said Biggs’ effort was always expected to be run largely through the political arm of Turning Point USA, the influential right-wing political organization with an extensive grassroots network in Arizona. That infrastructure can help with voter turnout, and the group also has the ability to fund independent expenditures — spending that supports a candidate without being coordinated with the campaign.
With about 99 days remaining in the general election, the Biggs campaign may need that outside help if it wants to close the communication gap, compete with Hobbs’ TV presence, and reach enough voters statewide to capitalize on the Republican registration advantage.
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