Karrin Taylor Robson raises $3.7M for governor’s race, half from her own pocket

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Karrin Taylor Robson announced that she raised $3.7 million for her campaign in 2021, with half coming out of her own deep pockets.

Robson announced her fundraising haul on Thursday, saying she’s matching every dollar raised from other donors with a dollar of her own. That means she raised $1,850,000 from individuals since launching her campaign last year, and has put in an identical amount of her own money. Nearly 16,000 individuals contributed to the campaign, Robson’s campaign said. 

The campaign still has $3 million on hand, Robson said in a press statement.

“I am humbled and energized by the number of people who are invested in my campaign, and I’m equally invested in our grassroots campaign for Arizona’s future,” she said in a press release. “What this report demonstrates is we will have the resources necessary to reach every Arizona household and compete for every vote. I look forward to bringing our conservative, Arizona First message to all corners of our state in the weeks and months ahead.”

Political observers expect Robson’s campaign to be heavily self-funded, though she has emphasized that she plans to raise a substantial amount of money, as well. Robson is a developer, and is married to Ed Robson, the founder and president of Robson Communities, a luxury retirement community development.

She is the third gubernatorial candidate to announce her fundraising total since the end of the campaign finance period on Dec. 31. Democrats Aaron Lieberman and Marco Lopez announced on Monday that they’d raised $1 million and $1.16 million, respectively. 

The deadline for state-level candidates to file their campaign finance reports for the calendar year of 2021 is Jan. 15.

Robson is one of five major candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor. She is running against businessman Steve Gaynor, former Fox 10 anchor Kari Lake, former Congressman Matt Salmon and state Treasurer Kimberly Yee. On the Democratic side, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs is vying with Lieberman and Lopez for their party’s nomination.