While Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne recovers from a four-night hospital visit for what his spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham says was a "minor procedure," his re-election campaign is dead in the water.
According to recently-filed documents with the Arizona Secretary of State, the embattled AG, who is facing active investigations from at least three agencies into allegations he's made the AG's office his campaign headquarters, brought in just a little more than $100,000 for the latest reporting period, ending May 31.
A pitiful showing, considering the usual influence of an incumbency on fundraising.
Of that amount, $50,000 was a loan from his sister Christine Newman, who lent him $100,000 during the previous reporting period.
Still, combining both his primary and general election accounts, Horne reported $428,000 in cash on hand, as polls show him lagging behind his primary challenger, former state gaming director Mark Brnovich.
Horne is apparently hoarding what he has, having spent only about $56,000 during this reporting period.
Of course, you don't have to spend a lot when you're using state resources to campaign.
According to more than one source, Horne has told staffers that he wants to spend 90 percent of his cash on TV, and no more than 10 percent on overhead.
Brnovich did a little better than his last reporting period, but did not break six figures.
The jovial former prosecutor pulled in a little more than $76,400 for this reporting period, around $26,000 more than the last period.
Still, that's more than Horne raised, if you don't count the money Horne was loaned by his rich sis.
Folks in the Brnovich camp tell me that they've picked up steam, fundraising-wise during the month of June, which is not reflected in these current numbers.
Brnovich had more than $87,000 in cash on hand as of May 31.
The person making bank in this race, however, is Democrat Felecia Rotellini, whom Horne bested by around 60,000 votes in 2010.
Combining both her primary and general account totals, she raised more than $508,000 during this reporting period. That's just a little under what she raised in the period ending December 31.
Which means Rotellini has raised more than $1 million to date for this campaign, and may be en route to having raised $1.5 million by the time the general election begins in September.
She reported $772,000 in cash on hand for the period, which is more than both Brnovich and Horne combined.
And she has no primary to worry about.
Think of Rotellini as a Democrat Daenerys Targaryen, the "Mother of Dragons" on the HBO series Game of Thrones.
Like Daenerys, she plots her revenge on an usurper, Horne, who violated campaign finance laws to beat her in 2010.
And if Horne survives his primary against Brnovich, no doubt Rotellini will lop off Horne's zombie melon-head with her million-dollar broadsword.
Metaphorically speaking, of course.
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