- Republican candidates spent a lot of their money going into convention and the primary election.
- One third party candidate raised more than $100,000.
- Three super PACs spent more than $1 million in the Senate election.
Utah
The financial landscape of Utah elections
Where there are elections, there’s often big money — to the tune of millions of dollars. That’s true in Utah, which doesn’t come close to being a state with the most expensive races.
A lot of the spending in Utah elections for statewide seats comes before convention and before the primary, likely because those seats are often considered safe for Republicans. That money is spent on things like ads and gathering signatures to make it onto primary ballots.
Now that the election is wrapped up, here’s a look at how much money was brought in for candidates and where it was spent.
National Results
See National results update in real time
Utah Results
See Utah results update in real time
Governor
Gov. Spencer Cox (winner of election): The 2024 General Report showed Cox received more than $2.4 million in contributions (year to date). Throughout the year, the Cox campaign reported spending $3,782,382.19. At the beginning of the reporting period, the Cox campaign reported having more than $1.5 million as its balance.
The ending balance of the Cox campaign when it submitted its report was $158,370.28.
Leading up to the final weeks of the election, the Cox campaign spent less than half a million on things like the Governor’s Gala as well as various types of ads.
The report from the time heading into the state Republican convention shows the campaign spent close to $700,000. The campaign reported spending $147,000 on signature gathering. A fair amount of the campaign’s spending was on Lincoln Day dinners, booths at county conventions and advertising.
During the primary election reporting period, the Cox campaign reported it spent more than $1.4 million — a fair amount of it going toward advertising. The biggest single campaign donation the Cox camp reported during this time was to Derek Brown (now Utah attorney general-elect) at $50,000. The single biggest expenditure was $300,000 to Fluid Advertising.
The Cox campaign continued to spend into the general election, reporting around $1.16 million between June 14 and Sept. 25, and then more than $471,000 from Sept. 26 to Oct. 29.
Rep. Brian King: According to the report, King received over $632,000 in contributions (year to date). Throughout the year, the King campaign reported spending $651,962.94. The ending balance of the campaign at the conclusion of the general report’s period was $24,436.94.
The King campaign spent around $126,000 headed into convention. The campaign spent slightly less during the primary season (King was unopposed).
Most of the campaign’s spending happened during the general election — $405,237.56 (total from two reports). The single largest expense during the final reporting period was $45,000 to Elevate Strategies for advertising.
Senate
Rep. John Curtis (winner of election): A look at Open Secrets shows that Curtis raised around $5.4 million and spent about $4.67 million, leaving him with around $1.1 million. The last report is dated just a couple weeks before the election on Oct. 16.
In terms of outside spending, there was more than $7.7 million spent in support of Curtis and just under $100,000 spent opposing Curtis.
Caroline Gleich: During the campaign, Gleich raised around $1.1 million and spent about $1 million, leaving her with $102,819 at the end of the reporting period, according to Open Secrets.
$6,724 was spent in support of Gleich by an outside group: Protect Our Winters Action Fund.
More on the outside groups: There were three outside groups that spent more than $1 million, according to Open Secrets.
The Conservative Values for Utah PAC spent close to $5 million for Curtis. The group also spent $353,009 against Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, a Republican candidate for Senate who lost to Curtis.
Another outside group, Defend American Jobs, spent just under $2 million in support of Curtis. The group also spent $1.5 million against Staggs. Then, the Conservative Outsider PAC spent $1.8 million for Republican candidate Brent Orrin Hatch who was eliminated at convention and didn’t gather enough signatures to qualify for the primary ballot.
Attorney general
Derek Brown (winner of election): The Brown campaign reported over $1.19 million in contributions year to date. The campaign also reported spending close to that same amount during the year and ending with a balance of $215,694.27. The balance at the start of the year was around $200,000.
During the primary reporting period (April 18 to June 13), the Brown campaign spent around $589,474 — much of that amount unsurprisingly going toward advertising.
Much of the Brown campaign spending was either during the primary or headed into the Republican convention. There are two reports filed after the primary election — one shows the campaign spent around $90,000 and the other shows the campaign spent around $152,000.
From January to April 17 (the convention part of the campaign), the Brown campaign reported spending right around $352,805 — $248,000 of that amount went toward signature gathering.
In the final month of the campaign, the Brown team reported spending more than $30,000 to Reagan Outdoor Advertising, which has billboards across the state.
Rudy Bautista: The Bautista campaign did not accept outside donations. The campaign spent $100 on a fine for late disclosure on the primary report — the campaign didn’t collect any donations during that time. The only other expenditure reported by the Bautista campaign is $60 for a website.
Third party candidates: Libertarian candidate Andrew McCullough raised around $500 during the campaign and unaffiliated candidate Austin Hepworth received just over $12,000.
United Utah Party candidate Michelle Quist had $146,000 year to date in contributions received — the Quist campaign ended up spending around $139,000 throughout the year. The largest single expenditure in the report headed into the generation election was $15,000 for advertising to Elevate Strategies.
It’s on nights like these that I’m reminded of the ravine that divides the NBA from all other levels of basketball. This Summer League tilt was sloppy on both sides, and not many fringe players earned an NBA contract tonight, by the looks of it.
This matchup has always been about the number-one pick AJ Dybantsa and the number-two pick Darryn Peterson. Rivals since high school, these two are in an eternal struggle for the designation of being “number-one”. They wanted to be the best in their high school class. They wanted to be the first off the board in the NBA Draft. Rest assured, these two will be battling for Rookie of the Year honors by the season’s end.
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Both stars were fully aware of the magnitude of this game, and both wanted to be the first to strike in the Thomas and Mack Center.
Dybantsa took his first touch all the way to the basket and forced up an off-kilter shot that missed everything.
Peterson took the ball the other way and forced up a top-of-the-key three-pointer that missed badly.
Dybantsa quickly picked up the slack, flipping an under-and-around lay-in and following that up with a good leading bounce pass through traffic to find a cutting teammate.
From there, the 1-2 combo settled in and let the game flow around them.
For the first time in a Utah Jazz uniform, Darryn Peterson walked among mortal men as a commoner. He had a very slow start in his Las Vegas debut, opening the night 0-for-3 from the floor and even whiffing on his first all-or-nothing foul shot. His steps were hurried, and he stood unstable before his first trip to the bench. Not quite so infallible outside of the mountain air in Salt Lake City.
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AJ claimed the first quarter, dicing up the defense with fadeaways, dribble chains, and this vicious, inhumane slam that will dominate your social media feed for the next day or so.
Washington set the tone for some — should we say physical — defense out on the perimeter, and the officials gave the Wizards liberty to reside in Peterson’s chest for the majority of the game. The number-two pick couldn’t get himself into a rhythm as he’d step out of bounds, dribble off his foot, and sputter under the heat of the Wizards’ aggressive double-team scheme.
They were incredibly handsy from end to end, frustrating Jazz ball handlers as the whistles piled up at the other end.
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AJ Dybantsa lives at the foul stripe — that’s his superpower — and he has since his days at BYU, where he led the nation in foul shots taken per game. Perfectly within his idiom, Dybantsa was 6-of-7 from the foul stripe — keeping in mind the experimental do-or-die free throw rule. Considering how much more physical the Wizards played at the defensive end, it’s a mystery how the Wizards managed to reside in the comfort of the bonus for the entire first half.
Neither player was efficient from the floor, but Dybantsa won the first half of this marquee matchup.
Dybantsa finished the first half with 19 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
Peterson lagged behind with 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting and a pair of dimes.
The lead shrank to single digits, and what appeared to be a blowout in the first half — Washington led by as much as 20 — rapidly drew tighter in the second half. It had become a two-possession game before the clock hit 0:00 in the third quarter.
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Both stars lived up to the bill in this one, clearly displaying their individual talents despite their efficiency not leaping off the box score.
Peterson’s tendency to cough up possession has to get straightened out. He’ll be a target for his whole career, so learning to handle and exploit on-ball pressure will be critical to maximize his effectiveness and keep his teammates involved.
Cody Williams stole the show a bit for the Jazz, despite a rocky opening to the night. Though he struggled to stop Dybantsa on the defensive end, he notched 16 points on great efficiency (6-11, 2-3 3PT) plus 5 rebounds. He’s not a ball-handler, despite the Jazz’s wishes, but thrived on a newly added stepback mid-range jumper tonight.
Dybantsa had a strong night, finishing with 27 points on 7-for-18 shooting, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.
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The Wizards ultimately won this game behind the strength of their NBA guys, Tre Johnson and Will Reily, who combined for 41 to pair with Dybantsa’s 27. They also strongly benefited from Jamir Watkins, Darryn Peterson’s assignment fouling a grand total of 9 times (not a typo).
Peterson likewise fouled 9 times in this one, an ugly blemish on what was an unsteady night for the rookie. He finished with 24 points on 6-18 shooting and 2-7 from three-point land (thanks to a bank-shot heave at the final horn). Dybantsa will be crowned the winner of this head-to-head with Peterson thanks to better highlights and the team win, but neither player dominated, despite what X will likely tell you.
Washington defeats Utah with a final score of 92-88.
Calvin Barrett is the Associate Editor for SLC Dunk. Originally from Springville, Utah, he currently lives in Japan and has covered the NBA and college athletics since 2024.
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The man arrested for murder in the 2006 death of his wife at a Utah national park left behind a suicide note in his Las Vegas jail cell, according to a police report.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police released a public report on the death of David Vander Meer, 49, who was in custody on an out-of-state warrant.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office said in an affidavit that Vander Meer, a former youth pastor, was a suspect in the death of his then-wife, 28-year-old Bernadette Vander Meer, 20 years ago.
Bernadette fell to her death at Angels Landing in Zion National Park. Prosecutors said in their affidavit that they received new information implicating David, alleing that he began having a close relationship with a young girl when she was 14 and he was her youth pastor.
A fugitive task force took Vander Meer into custody in Summerlin, according to an arrest report, and he was booked into Clark County Detention Center on June 22.
In the report on his death, LVMPD said a corrections officer was conducting visual checks at about 9:30 p.m. June 24 when he noticed Vander Meer lying face down on the ground and unresponsive.
Several sections are redacted, but police wrote that the officer performed chest compressions until medical personnel arrived. Vander Meer was taken to UMC, where he was pronounced dead just after 2:36 a.m. June 25.
Investigators wrote that because of “the nature of his case,” Vander Meer was placed into protective custody. He was seen sitting upright and awake at 9 p.m., and he had no known medical conditions. He also did not mention being suicidal during a mental health screening.
Inside the cell, police wrote that Vander Meer “left a hand written suicide letter and a hand written will in his cell which has been photographed and impounded.” The following paragraph of the report was redacted, and no further details on Vander Meer’s death were disclosed.
The Clark County Coroner’s Office has not yet released its official rulings on his cause and manner of death.
Bernadette’s parents, Richard and Laura Gudenkauf, told News 3 they long suspected Vander Meer played a role in her death.
“Because of the girlfriend,” said Laura. “I found insurance policies months later that he had, lots of them.”
It has been a long time since the Jazz last played a meaningful game I desperately wanted them to win, and it is unhealthy how excited I am for this matchup. After a solid three games in the SLC Summer League, the Jazz head south to Las Vegas, and as hot as the desert sun is sure to be outside, on the court, the Thursday night primetime game featuring the top two picks in the draft will be much hotter.
How to Watch the Las Vegas Summer League?
Who: Utah Jazz vs Washington Wizards
When: Thursday, July 9, 2026 | 7:00 MT
Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV
How to watch: ESPN, Jazz+
Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa
Summer league games do not matter in the record books, but this game is a statement-making opportunity for both AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson. Given the historical nature of this draft class, especially at the top, there is some real juice to this game that is atypical of most Summer League games. AJ has the chance to silence the noise that has swelled after Darryn’s remarkable performances in the SLC Summer League. Meanwhile, Darryn has the chance to ratchet up the noise and take the NBA world by storm with another solid performance against the Wizards. Can you imagine the narratives if Darryn were to come out and dominate AJ as he has through high school and college? In the words of the great Charles Barkley, I have two words for you… Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, must-see TV.
Ace Bailey looked really impressive in his 2.5 quarters of play in Salt Lake before missing games with back spasms. It is unknown whether or not he will be ready to go for the Vegas opener, but if he is available, he will probably be the one checking AJ Dybantsa on defense. His combination of length and athleticism could not only make things difficult for AJ on the defensive end but also expose his lackadaisical defense on the offensive end. If Ace is able to go, he will be looking to show the Jazz and the NBA that he is ready to take a leap in year two.
Which Jazz Big Man Will Stand Out?
Which big man will step up this game? In Game 1, we saw a lot of Kylor Kelley, who was a little less than impressive. Against Memphis, Jaxon Kohler, the Utah native, showed up and showed out against Cam Boozer. In game three, although the number of NBA-level players was few and far between, Jonas Aidoo stole the show with his rebounding and ability to play his role. Will we see one of those same three guys seize their opportunity, or will another guy like Micah Handlogten or Eric Dixon steal the show? We saw how vital a big that can roll and catch passes is for Darryn Peterson as a lead guard, playmaking-wise. It will be interesting to see who steps up to the plate to relieve pressure when he is blitzed and double-teamed.
SIDE NOTE: Adam Silver is LAME
No one should ASPIRE to be as boring as Adam Silver. After much excitement was made about Keyonte George making his unofficial coaching debut on Thursday night, according to Sarah Todd, the league has nixed that excitement and won’t allow Keyonte to be coaching on the sideline because who knows why…? I guess they were worried about the Jazz circumventing the salary cap to pay Keyonte or something. Anyways, I guess Will Hardy’s coaching TREE will have to wait for more branches to grow. Adam Silver remains evil in my book.
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