By Matthew Holloway |
Three Arizona Democratic congressional candidates received a combined $34,600 from Jonathan Soros, the son of billionaire political donor George Soros, and his wife, Jennifer, across the 2024 and 2026 election cycles, according to Federal Election Commission records.
JoAnna Mendoza, a Democratic candidate seeking to challenge Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District, received a combined $14,000 from Jonathan and Jennifer Soros for the 2026 election cycle. Jonathan Nez, a Democrat seeking Arizona’s Second Congressional District seat, received another $14,000 from the couple.
Dr. Amish Shah’s congressional campaign received a combined $6,600 from Jonathan and Jennifer Soros during the 2024 election cycle. Shah was the Democratic nominee in Arizona’s First Congressional District that year and is seeking the seat again in 2026.
The contributions were publicly disclosed and fall within federal campaign-finance limits. During the 2025-2026 election cycle, an individual may give a candidate committee up to $3,500 for each election, with the primary and general elections treated separately. Two married donors can therefore contribute a combined $14,000 to a candidate participating in both elections. The individual limit was $3,300 per election during the 2023-2024 cycle.
The contributions represent a smaller, more direct form of Soros family involvement than Arizona has seen in previous election cycles. In 2016, the Associated Press reported that a Soros-funded political group contributed $2.3 million in the Maricopa County sheriff’s race, supporting Democrat Paul Penzone and running advertisements against Republican incumbent Joe Arpaio. Another Soros-funded group spent $1.3 million as the sole contributor to a group opposing Republican Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. Penzone defeated Arpaio, while Montgomery won reelection against Democrat Diego Rodriguez.
The Soros political network also spent heavily on an Arizona ballot measure during the 2024 election. State campaign-finance records show the Open Society Action Fund contributed $1,999,999 to Arizona for Abortion Access, the committee supporting Proposition 139. The measure amended the Arizona Constitution to establish a right to abortion. George Soros founded the broader Open Society Foundations network, which includes the Open Society Action Fund.
Unlike those earlier expenditures, the money given to Mendoza, Nez, and Shah was contributed directly by Jonathan and Jennifer Soros to the candidates’ authorized campaign committees and was subject to federal individual contribution limits.
Jonathan Soros is an investor who previously served as president and deputy chairman of Soros Fund Management. He is also a director of the Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros Foundation and has participated in Democratic and progressive political organizations.
The contributions come as Mendoza and Nez have accumulated multimillion-dollar campaign accounts ahead of Arizona’s July primary election. The NRCC highlighted the contributions on X and cited comments from Arizona Republican Party Chairman Sergio Arellano published by the Arizona Daily Independent.
“Democrats love calling themselves the party of the working class,” Arizona Republican Party Chairman Sergio Arellano observed according to the Arizona Daily Independent. “That’s funny because they seem to spend a lot more time listening to radical billionaire donors than the people actually working overtime to pay the bills. Maybe that’s why hardworking Americans aren’t buying what they’re selling anymore.”
Mendoza’s campaign reported raising approximately $7.35 million and spending about $4.09 million through July 1. The campaign ended the reporting period with approximately $3.26 million in cash on hand. Mendoza is a retired Marine and former political consultant running against Ciscomani in a district Democrats have repeatedly targeted.
Nez, a former president of the Navajo Nation who unsuccessfully challenged Republican Rep. Eli Crane in 2024, reported raising approximately $3.52 million during the current cycle. His campaign spent approximately $1.67 million and reported about $1.91 million in cash on hand through July 1.
Shah’s campaign reported raising approximately $1.83 million during the current election cycle. The former Arizona state representative is competing for the Democratic nomination in the First Congressional District after losing the 2024 general election to Republican Rep. David Schweikert.
The National Republican Congressional Committee cited the Soros contributions while attacking Mendoza and Shah over their political positions.
“Democrat lobbyist JoAnna Mendoza and socialist Amish Shah sold out Arizona the moment they cashed these massive Soros checks,” NRCC spokesman Ben Petersen said in a statement. “These liberals serve the radical left-wing agenda of a billionaire family pushing dangerous socialist, defund the police, open borders policies.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
