16 June 13th-June 19th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | rhetoric. During their May debate and in an interview with New Times, Terán claimed that Ansari was raking in money from donors who were also donating to GOP candidates, including former President Donald Trump. The Terán campaign provided New Times with a list of 16 Ansari donors who it claimed had given major contributions to Trump or other GOP candidates and PACs. New Times reviewed data from the FEC and records on OpenSecrets.org. The campaign’s claims are partially true, but the list isn’t quite a grocery list of MAGA Republicans like Terán claimed during the debate. One Ansari donor is Hushang Ansary — unrelated to Ansari — who was once a member of Shah Reza Pahlavi’s inner circle in Iran before immi- grating to the U.S. following the country’s revolution. In America, Ansary went on to make a fortune in oil and defraud a Dutch Caribbean insurer of $500,000, for which he was convicted in 2021. Ansary gave at least $700,000 to a Trump PAC in recent years and $6,600 directly to Ansari — the most an individual can give to one candi- date under federal law — this election cycle. While Ansary was the most colorful character on the list, the rest were more run-of-the-mill. Some donors are Romney Republicans while others were Republicans but have donated frequently to President Joe Biden during this campaign cycle. Some have Persian names, but many of these donors to the GOP appear to be members of the moderate business class Pearson said Ansari has wooed. The list even includes Doug Parker, the CEO of American Airlines. Despite taking in less money, Terán has received nearly the same number of dona- tions as Ansari throughout the campaign. Her top donors have been the political organizations and PACs that have thrown their support behind her.` That Terán would attack an opponent’s ties to the elite is hardly a surprise. In fact, it’s part of her appeal. While Ansari is more mild-mannered and studied, Terán casts herself as a bold fighter. Gentle policy debates would be nice, she said, but are a luxury Arizonans can’t afford right now. Not in an era defined by extreme right- wing policies like HCR 2060, a hardline “border bill” that Republicans sent to the ballot on June 4. “I want to be talking to the voters about how we can dream of having the best policy that will make their realities better,” Terán told New Times. “Unfortunately, what the Republicans do is to put these things out where we have to go on defense.” Knocking doors Fighting HCR 2060, at least aside from an ongoing constitutionality challenge in the courts, is a problem for this fall. More pressing for Terán and Ansari right now is convincing primary voters to pick them. That means recruiting volunteers and canvassing communities to speak to voters. Ansari told New Times on June 1 that the campaign has knocked on 35,000 doors in the district already. The Terán campaign declined to say how many doors it has knocked. In a race so tight, between such similar candidates, a good ground game is crucial. “One thing it will come down to,” said Pearson, “is whose volunteers are willing to go knock doors when it’s 110 degrees out.” Summer has just started in Phoenix, and those temperatures have already arrived. Early voting begins July 3, meaning the time is now for Ansari and Terán to present their cases. Do voters want a wonk or a fighter? The Cambridge- educated wunderkind or the seasoned grassroots activist? Would one even vote all that differently from the other? Whoever has the most persuasive argu- ment — or the best endorsements or most campaign cash — gets an early ticket to Congress. Raquel Terán secured the endorsement of Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. (Photo by Elias Weiss) Now running for Senate, Ruben Gallego has represented Phoenix in the U.S. House of Representatives for 10 years. (Photo by Elias Weiss) Wonk vs. Fighter from p 14
