Glassman Fundraising Outstrips Retail Politics Performance

Rodney Glassman is touting a dominant second-quarter fundraising performance in the race for Arizona Attorney General. However, critics argue that his campaign still lacks the grassroots presence necessary to win over voters. Glassman raised $578,000 from April to June, far outpacing his GOP primary rival Sen. Warren Petersen (R-14), who raised just $69K during the same period. Glassman is sitting on a massive $2.4 million cash reserve, while Petersen holds a paltry $350K. Glassman also narrowly outraised Democratic incumbent Attorney General Kris Mayes, with double her cash reserves. But a closer look reveals that, like gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson (R), much of Glassman’s financial strength is self-supplied.

Campaign finance reports also show that Glassman personally loaned $1 million to his campaign late last year, amounting to nearly half of his total war chest. That infusion may be helping him stay atop the fundraising leaderboard, but it’s also raising questions about how much real momentum he’s generating beyond donor circles. Despite his financial edge, Glassman has yet to build a visible on-the-ground operation. Conservative grassroots leaders note his absence at community forums, party meetings, and other voter engagement events.

“He’s got the money, but where’s the retail politics?” one Republican operative asked. “The voters still want to see their candidate face-to-face.”

Glassman insists his momentum is growing, citing a successful fundraising event held out of state. “We’re already off to a hot start for Q3 (thank you Sam & Emily Fox for hosting us in San Diego!), and we hope to soon earn President Trump’s endorsement to make this primary a done deal,” his campaign wrote in a recent email blast.

Glassman has gathered an eclectic cross-section of endorsements:

• Congressman Paul Gosar (R-CD9) is a prominent supporter. In 2022, Gosar participated in a fundraiser for Glassman and continues to endorse him publicly. Glassman himself has highlighted this backing: “Congressman Gosar supports me … I’m building a coalition of people that want me to be the attorney general.”
• Tom Horne (R), Arizona’s former Attorney General and current Superintendent of Public Instruction, is serving as Glassman’s campaign chairman, praising him as “an attorney general law enforcement can trust.”
• Karen Fann (R), the former president of the Arizona Senate, is also endorsing and supporting him, stating her trust in his ability to protect elections and support Trump’s agenda.
• Jerry Sheridan, the Maricopa County Sheriff, is co-chairing his campaign as well, asserting that he will “always have law enforcement’s back.”

Maricopa Sheriff Jerry Sheridan’s wife Stacie even works for the campaign in a volunteer capacity. She helped to organize this fundraiser in San Diego:

With more than a year before the general election, the clock is ticking for Glassman to prove he’s not just financing a campaign — but leading one.