•SEVENTEEN, 17 FAKE VOTER DONATIONS, MWAH HAH HAH HAH–Arizona’s Clean Elections Commission has now identified 17 voters who say they never made the $5 contributions attributed to them in campaign-finance records. In an October 19 Arizona Supreme Court filing, Commission Executive Director Tom Collins presented additional declarations concerning the campaigns of Green Party candidates Risa Lombardo and Duwayne Collier, and Republican Scott Neely. Some voters allege forged signatures. Others say they never completed the forms, which included misspelled names or addresses. Last month, reports emerged that there were only six such cases, so this is a substantial escalation. The candidates deny wrongdoing and challenge the commission’s authority to investigate and potentially recover public campaign funds. But this is starting to look like more than a rounding error.

•MUSK IN THE DESERT–The world’s richest man continues to pull the strings behind national politics, and Arizona is no exception.Federal filings show Elon Musk’s America PAC has spent more than $1 million combined in Arizona’s competitive First and Sixth Congressional District races. According to Arizona’s Family’s October 20 report, the PAC spent more than $500,000 in each district, including digital advertising and text messages attacking Democrats Amish Shah and JoAnna Mendoza. Shah is running against Republican Jay Feely. Mendoza is challenging Republican incumbent Juan Ciscomani. As of yet, we’ve seen no reports of a flying car in either district.

•HAMADEH OFFERS $10,000 REWARD IN OPPONENT’S ASSAULT CASE–Republican Congressman Abe Hamadeh announced Tuesday that he is personally offering $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the two men accused of sexually assaulting his Democratic opponent, Bernadette Greene-Placentia. Greene-Placentia reported being attacked in Sun City in August while fixing campaign signs. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. Hamadeh had previously called for a thorough investigation. It’s a gallant gesture that keeps a potentially explosive story from becoming a campaign issue.

•HOBBS DISCLOSES THREAT AGAINST HER FAMILY–Things often get tense around Election Day.Gov. Katie Hobbs said during a Tuesday KTAR interview that her security team had flagged a threat to execute her and her family the previous week.This is separate from the previously reported suspicious letters addressed to Democratic officeholders. No one has established a connection among the incidents. Hobbs didn’t identify a suspect or announce an arrest.

•THE CANDIDATE WHO OWNS HIS OWN NEWSPAPER–In the town of Maricopa, the happiest place on Earth, councilmember Bob Marsh just endorsed fellow councilmember Vincent Manfredi. Marsh did so in the pages of InMaricopa, the newspaper that Manfredi owns. This comes on the heels of an election debate where everyone agreed about every issue. The paper labels the endorsement a letter to the editor and discloses Manfredi’s ownership.

•NOT A MATH WHIZ–Arizona Capital Times interviewed Sebastian Matta, a 19-year-old ASU philosophy major, who’s running against former Republican legislator Jeff Dial for Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court. The clerk oversees court records and financial operations. The salary is $96,600. According to the article, Matta filed two campaign-finance reports late. His explanation?“It’s just that it’s tough to manage everything at once, and I’m not a math wiz.” Matta says he’s running a serious campaign and would take a semester off if elected.