Schweikert faces Democratic challenger as he seeks 7th term

PHOENIX (AP) — Republican efforts to pick up seats in Arizona's nine-member U.S. House delegation run right through the northeast Phoenix suburbs, where six-term Republican Rep. David Schweikert is trying to persuade voters that multiple campaign finance violations don’t disqualify him from office.

Early voting began Wednesday across Arizona, with less than a month to go until Election Day on Nov. 8.

In his last two reelection races, Schweikert managed to fend off challengers despite campaign finance allegations that eventually led to fines for him and his election committee.

Now, Democrat Jevin Hodge insists Schweikert’s lapses aren’t behind him.

Hodge pointed to the $125,000 fine imposed by the Federal Election Commission on Schweikert’s campaign committee earlier this year for misreporting spending and diverting some campaign funds for his own use.

“He continues to make headlines for himself,” Hodge said.

Two years earlier, Schweikert paid a $50,000 fine and acknowledged 11 violations to settle an investigation by the U.S. House Ethics Committee, which found he was indifferent to repeated campaign finance violations and used his official staff for campaign work. He won his 2020 reelection bid by nearly 5 percentage points over a well-funded Democrat anyway.

Schweikert, who has blamed his former chief of staff for many of the issues, said he isn’t concerned about the scandal hurting his reelection chances.

“I can show you in the polling that nobody cares,” Schweikert said.

Democrats are looking to unseat Schweikert in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, which includes parts of north Phoenix, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Paradise Valley. The wealthy district was renumbered and its lines redrawn during last year's once-a-decade redistricting. It became a little...