Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs’ pursuit of Utah’s open U.S. Senate seat got a fundraising boost after winning the nod from GOP delegates at April’s state convention, but donations to his campaign have been dwarfed by supporters of Rep. John Curtis ahead of the upcoming Republican primary election.

The latest financial disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission show Staggs raised nearly $260,000 between April 8 and June 5, with most of that money coming after he triumphed in front of party delegates. He has $375,000 on hand heading into the final stretch ahead of the June 25 primary.

Curtis, the frontrunner in the race according to a poll commissioned by his backers, raised more than two-and-a-half times as much as Staggs during the same period, pulling in just under $970,000. More than $351,000 came from the joint fundraising committee he shares with the Conservative Climate PAC and the NRCC, which is the campaign arm for House Republicans. Curtis also has more cash on hand than Staggs, with $575,000.

Staggs reeled in an endorsement from former President Donald Trump the morning of the state convention. After that endorsement, Staggs’ campaign made three $40,000 payments to American Made Media Consultants, a company created in 202 by Jared Kushner, the former president’s son-in-law.

A complaint filed to the FEC by the Campaign Legal Center said Trump’s campaign laundered more than $600 million in campaign funds through American Made Media Consultants to companies tied to the ex-president and his family. Federal officials dismissed the complaint in 2022 after the bipartisan commission deadlocked along party lines. The Campaign Legal Center has filed suit over the dismissal.

A spokesperson for Staggs’ campaign told The Salt Lake Tribune that American Made Media bought ad time for the campaign on streaming services.

Utah’s airwaves have been blanketed with pro-Curtis advertising. Disclosures show his campaign spent more than $1 million on advertising from the first part of April to the first part of May. Since the campaign started, outside organizations have poured more than $8.4 million into the state to boost Curtis.

Brad Wilson’s fundraising has fallen off dramatically in the last couple of months. He only pulled in $27,000, the least of the four candidates in the race. His campaign spent more than $1.7 million in the last two months, including more than $1 million on advertising, but that effort did not reverse his difficulties in gaining traction with Republican voters. His campaign has not spent any money on advertising since the end of May.

Wilson has raised more than $4.7 million since last year, with loans he made to his campaign comprising $3 million of that. The former speaker of the Utah House reported having $554,000 cash on hand. Candidates can repay themselves using money from donors.

Moxie Pest Control CEO Jason Walton raised just $36,000 over the last two months, reporting 14 individual donors. Since entering the race, he has loaned his campaign $2.5 million.

Cash in other Utah congressional delegation campaigns

Of the five Republicans vying for Curtis’ seat in the 3rd Congressional District, State Sen. Mike Kennedy has raised the most money in the last two months, pulling in just under $90,000. He also has the most cash on hand, with $208,000.

Kennedy reported $6,700 in campaign donations from Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz and another $3,300 from Schultz’s wife. He also received $1,000 from the Summit County GOP.

Kennedy spent $341,000 during the reporting period, with $182,000 for advertising. He has put $160,000 of his own money into the race.

Trampoline park entrepreneur Case Lawrence’s campaign reported $16,000 in donations from six donors. That shouldn’t impact his operation much during the last stretch, though. Since mid-April, Lawrence has loaned his campaign more than $2.5 million, including a $100,000 loan earlier this week.

Lawrence’s campaign spent more than $1.35 million over the last two months, with the vast majority (more than $900,000) going toward advertising. He reported just $26,861 available cash.

Stewart Peay received just over $82,000 in donations, the second-most in the field, including $3,300 each from Sen. Mitt Romney and son Tagg Romney. He has $108,000 cash on hand.

Roosevelt Mayor JR Bird reported $27,000 in donations with approximately $148,000 cash on hand. He’s loaned his campaign just over $1 million.

State Auditor John Dougall raised the least money, reporting just $11,000 in donations and has $35,000 in the bank.

Sen. Mike Lee’s surprise endorsement of Colby Jenkins to represent Utah’s 2nd Congressional District over incumbent Rep. Celeste Maloy helped him bring in just under $124,000 in individual donations over the last two months, slightly less than the $134,000 reported by Maloy.

However, $172,000 from political action committees supercharged Maloy’s fundraising during the same period. Maloy reported nearly $167,000 in available cash, more than double Jenkins’ $82,000.

In Utah’s 1st Congressional District, Paul Miller defeated incumbent Republican Blake Moore at the state nominating convention. Despite that victory, Moore is light years ahead of Miller in fundraising.

Moore raised $177,000 in April and May, more than 38 times the $4,600 in donations to Miller. Moore’s campaign has more than $1 million in the bank. Miller has spent more than he raised, leaving his campaign balance in the negative.

Moore has begun repaying personal loans he made to his campaign when he first ran for Congress in 2020. He’s used donor money to repay himself more than $205,000, including just over $100,000 during the most recent reporting period.

SALT LAKE CITY — The City of Denver is bussing immigrants to Utah and now Gov. Spencer Cox’s office says it’s doing everything it can to stop the practice.

Senior Advisor and Director of Communications for the governor’s office, Jennifer Napier-Pearce, said in a statement sent to KSL NewsRadio that the City of Denver did not consult with them about sending immigrants to Utah.

“Just over two weeks ago we learned of an immigrant family at the Salt Lake City airport who had been sent by Denver officials with no resources and no place to go,” Napier-Pearce said in the statement.

It goes on to say that since learning of Denver’s policy, “We’ve worked with Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City to push back on the Department of Homeland Security, the city of Denver, the state of Colorado and the Biden administration demanding they immediately stop this practice.”

Has Denver been bussing immigrants to Utah?

Jon Ewing with the Denver Department of Human Services confirmed to KSL NewsRadio that they have paid for tickets to send 59 people to Salt Lake City in the past month and paid for 2,000 tickets for people in the past year and a half.

Ewing said in a statement that Denver has been incredibly transparent with all their newcomer operations, including onward travel efforts.

“The vast majority of newcomers arriving in Denver do so on buses chartered from Texas and had no intention of ever coming to Denver,” Ewing said. “That’s why part of our operations include purchasing tickets for newcomers to get to their desired location, where they may have support networks or job opportunities. In all cases, the destination is solely chosen by the newcomer.”

Ewing went on to say that they “Remain in close communication with officials to provide notification if larger groups are traveling or in the exceedingly rare occasion that a flight is booked.”

Cox speaks out

But that differs from what Cox said earlier today on X.

“Recently learned that the Democrat mayor of Denver has been sending illegal immigrants to Utah without proper notification or approval,” Cox’s post read.

We recently learned that the Democrat mayor of Denver has been sending illegal immigrants to Utah without proper notification or approval. This is completely unacceptable and follows on the failed catch-and-release policy of the Biden administration. Every state has received… https://t.co/pL4pShMTn2

— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) June 14, 2024

Cox went on to say that “all 50 states, including Utah, are now border states due to the failed immigration policies of President Biden and Congress. Once again we call on the Biden administration and Congress to solve this crisis.”

Cox said the state’s resources are completely depleted.

A lack of immigration resources

Depleted resources are something immigration attorney Carlos Trujillo said he’s seen firsthand.

“I have been in a couple of the shelters. I have worked with the governor’s office for new immigrants, new Americans, and you can see how these people are sadly here in this country with nothing,” Trujillo said.

Trujillo agrees that the resources have been used up.

“The situation really is dire. And a lot these people also have children,” Trujillo said. “And that has been the concern of the many organizations that have been trying to help, is that we don’t want to see children on the street.”

Trujillo was hopeful that there were solutions to this problem. One thing he said needs specific attention is the current process for asylum seekers.

“It’s a very different wave of immigrants than before,” Trujillo said. “A very high percentage, I would say about 70%, if not higher, of these people arriving at the border, they are turning themselves in. They’re not coming in the shadows or anything like that.”

Another local response

The President of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, State Rep. Angela Romero also weighed in today.

She said her office has been in close communication with the Denver mayor’s office. She said that when asylum seekers come into the country, they are asked where they want to go. 

Romero asked that people not place blame on Colorado leadership and avoid dehumanizing families that have come into our communities. 

The new Utah Hockey Club has the potential to build an impressive legacy, one surrounded by winning and maintaining a loyal fan base.

It’s easier said than done, but Utah can look to the Colorado Avalanche as an example for success in the NHL.

The Quebec Nordiques had an impressive following and a rich history. However, they didn’t win the Cup, something the Colorado Avalanche did their first year after relocating from Quebec to Denver in the 1995-96 season.

Adding insult to injury for Quebec fans, Colorado won the Cup in their first year in Denver.

Utah has the opportunity to achieve similar success. After only making one divisional championship appearance in their entire time in Arizona, Utah’s new hockey team has consistently struggled and almost embodied a losing team with a struggling fanbase.

Losing certainly doesn’t fill arenas, and once losing becomes the expected form of play, fanbases rapidly depart any interest in such a team.

Utah is a fresh start centered on a community that has proven itself to root for professional sports. Utah Jazz fans are some of the most loyal and dedicated in the league. This remains the case even though they have yet to win their prized first championship, losing back-to-back appearances against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

The Avalanche created a fan base based on star players (Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy) and, most importantly, an expectation centered on winning.

Like the fairly new Vegas Golden Knights, the Avalanche took the league by storm, putting a competitive roster on the ice and setting a new standard.

Today, both the Avalanche and Golden Knights continue to be examples of how to build NHL rosters around the league.

New ownership, a new fanbase, and a new home will assist Utah in forming a different legacy. While Utah may not experience the same quick success as Colorado, it has the potential to change its franchise narrative and improve its play.

Winning solves everything. With new draft picks and a change of scenery, the existing roster finally gets a fresh start, long overdue.

The Salt Lake City area has all the elements to provide for an excellent show; from the mountains, snow, and proven NBA fanbase, it’s up to the hockey team to start and create their legacy.

The Central Division is both talent-filled and competitive, making it a prime example with some of the league’s most talented teams.

Utah can be one of the best stories in NHL history, they just need to win.