With ballots already in the hands of voters, Arizona Republican activists and candidates are questioning why the Republican legislative leadership PAC and its financial assistance has been nearly nonexistent.
In the past, candidates in targeted races could count on the Republican Legislative Victory Fund to shore up their campaigns and respond to attacks funded by similar Democrat groups. However, at a time when the average contributor is tapped out due to Biden’s inflation, the deep pocketed Republican Legislative Victory Fund is spending most of its money on consultants, not voters.
Currently the fund is being managed by the pro-McCain consulting group, Camelback Strategies. According to Politico, “Camelback Strategy Group and Consilium Consulting have merged to form Public Square LLC, with offices in Phoenix and Alexandria. Camelback’s Chad Heywood and Jon Seaton and Consilium’s Kirk Adams are partners at the new venture.” Former McCain alum Matt Kenney is also a partner at Camelback Strategies.
Conservatives questioned why any organization headed up by Heywood, Seton, and Kenney, operatives who have by reputation been extremely hostile to the Republican Party’s grassroots, was selected in the first place. Camelback Strategies ran the Victory PAC’s operations for the 2020 cycle as well, when Republicans suffered losses across the board that nearly cost them their majority. But they have earned the loyalty of both House Speaker Rusty Bowers and, more importantly, State Senate President Karen Fann, who observers acknowledge calls the shots when it comes to hiring decisions.
According to the Fund’s campaign finance reports, only a small percentage of the approximately $1.6 Million raised by the fund has been spent to benefit Republican campaigns. The overwhelming majority of the money spent so far, has been spent on consultants, fundraisers, accounting, polling, and the like. Some websites have been set up to attack Democrats in targeted races, but the reports suggest each website may cost over $5,000, which is well above the industry standard for these simple websites. Virtualassist.net advises that “the cost of building a five-page website typically costs between $500 to about $1000 but can go higher to $2500 if you want a fully customized five-page site.” There is no apparent justification for the high prices being paid.
While the Victory Fund is paying the bills, it is Republican candidates in close races who may ultimately pay the price.
“It is borderline malpractice to spend what they’ve spent and not have more to show for it.” remarked one legislative campaign that would only speak anonymously, as they were still hoping to see support in their race. “Democrats will always have more money than Republicans, so you can’t hire consultants that are going to pay themselves and their consultant buddies, and give the short end to GOP candidates, or you’ll lose.”
A political consultant who watches legislative races says that in spite of the criticism, Camelback and the consultants involved with the Victory Fund were bound to claim victory this November. “You have a great year for Republicans, an incredibly unpopular President in Joe Biden, and thanks to the losses in 2020, Republicans were at their lowest point in a long time, so there are bound to be some gains and the consultants will all slap each others’ backs and claim victory. But I think the minimum to the be expected is 18 Senate seats and probably 35 House seats. Do that, in this environment, and you’ve done the basic job. If you want to have real bragging rights, you need to beat those numbers.”
Political consultants and companies, other than Camelback itself, which have benefitted most from the Fund, include Lorna Romero, owner of Elevate Strategies. Romero is listed on LinkedIn as the former Communications Director for the 2016 McCain campaign. The largest recipients are The Lukens Company, which received nearly $114,000 and American Viewpoint, Inc, a polling firm that received an eye-popping $209,700.
“If I were still involved it would be making me crazy,” commented one former donor, “because the ask is always ‘will you give money so we can protect the Republican majority’, but why would I write a check if it is just going to go into some consultant’s bank account? I’m better off giving that money directly to the candidates in tough races.”