Incumbent Sen. Mitt Romney isn’t fundraising like he’s planning on operating for a second time period in 2024. However, the Utah Republican hasn’t formally drawn a critical opponent but — and it’s nonetheless early.
In line with the newest Federal Election Fee fundraising stories, Romney’s marketing campaign committee raised beneath $112,000 in the course of the first three months of 2023. That’s the second-smallest fundraising haul amongst incumbent senators dealing with a potential reelection run subsequent yr, Roll Name stories.
Most of Romney’s donations got here from political motion committees. His marketing campaign reported 19 particular person donors who contributed simply over $13,500. Just one was from Utah, a contribution of $10.
Nonetheless, he’s well-positioned financially to kick begin a marketing campaign subsequent yr with greater than $600,000 within the financial institution. Romney filed his assertion of candidacy with the FEC final month.
And whereas Romney hasn’t introduced whether or not he’ll run for an additional time period subsequent yr, if he does, he’ll probably draw not less than one main challenger. Utah Home Speaker Brad Wilson launched an exploratory committee for U.S. Senate in April.
First District incumbent Rep. Blake Moore raised probably the most cash amongst Utah’s congressional delegation within the first quarter. Moore reported pulling in $331,913 in contributions. Greater than $100,000 got here from particular person donations, with the remaining from PACs and different fundraising committees. Moore’s marketing campaign pulled in about $27,000 from his joint fundraising committee and one other $178,000 from PACs and different committees.
Moore loaned his marketing campaign greater than $130,000 to finance his first run for Congress in 2020. That debt continues to be listed on his marketing campaign disclosures.
Moore loaned his marketing campaign greater than $200,000 to finance his first run for Congress in 2020, and $130,000 of that debt continues to be listed on his disclosures.
Rep. Burgess Owens is often a fundraising machine. In 2020 he raised greater than $6 million and one other $3.4 million in 2022. This election cycle is beginning comparatively slowly for the two-term Republican. He’s reporting $110,095 in donations within the first quarter of 2023.
Owens’ marketing campaign spent all the things it raised within the first quarter of this yr after which some, reporting $110,496 in bills. Greater than half of these disbursements had been designated as “disgorged contributions,” which implies an unlawful contribution the marketing campaign should both return to the unique donor or give to the U.S. Treasury. About half of the returned donations got to Owens for his first marketing campaign in 2020. A spokesperson for Owens didn’t instantly reply to questions on what the disgorged donations had been for.
Owens has a historical past of operating afoul of marketing campaign finance guidelines. In 2020, his marketing campaign accepted greater than $135,000 in unlawful contributions. As votes had been nonetheless being counted in his slender win that yr, Owens’ marketing campaign despatched fundraising emails accusing Democrats of attempting to “steal the election.” In 2021, his marketing campaign was fined by the FEC for failing to reveal a number of donations in the course of the remaining days of the 2020 race.
Nearly all of Rep. John Curtis’ marketing campaign donations this yr have come from political motion committees and different organizations. Simply $30,400 of the $161,900 he raised has come from particular person contributors. Almost half of the person donations detailed on Curtis’ quarterly report are from Washington, D.C. Curtis’ management PAC raised one other $13,000 from firms and different PACs.
Rep. Chris Stewart, the longest-serving member of Utah’s congressional delegation, raised $130,303 within the first quarter, with about half coming from particular person donations. Stewart’s joint fundraising committee pulled in $40,000 in donations from simply three donors. “Freedom 21: Preventing for Freedom within the twenty first Century” management PAC has reported no contributions this yr however has greater than $60,000 within the financial institution.
Sen. Mike Lee, who received’t be on the poll once more till 2028, raised the least of any Utahn in Congress, reporting $109,581 in contributions, with most of that coming from particular person donors.
Even after spending greater than $11.6 million on his 2022 reelection race, Lee nonetheless stories over $850,000 in marketing campaign funds obtainable, probably the most amongst Utah’s delegation.
Moore raised probably the most cash from Utah throughout the latest fundraising quarter, amassing greater than $75,000 from Beehive State donors. The following closest was Owens with $15,850.
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