Two years ago, the U.S. Senate matchup between Republican Mike Lee and independent Evan McMullin cost more than $40 million. The candidates spent a combined $21 million, and outside groups spent another $19.5 million.
New financial disclosures filed Tuesday show this year's U.S. Senate contest is not quite as expensive as 2022, but it's in the neighborhood.
Those disclosures cover the three months between July and September. Here's what we learned.
U.S. Senate
The dozen candidates in the race to replace Sen. Mitt Romney have spent more than $15 million combined. Outside groups have spent nearly $13 million on the race, with the vast majority coming before the June Republican primary.
- Republican nominee John Curtis raised $572,000 from June to October. Just $192,400 came from individual donations.
- Curtis raised $343,250 from PACs and industry organizations.
- Curtis raised another $260,000 through fundraising committees affiliated with other Republican candidates.
- Overall, Curtis has raised nearly $5.2 million. Just $26,657 has come from donors who gave less than $200.
- Curtis has spent $4.5 million on his campaign so far and had just under $950,000 in the bank at the end of the reporting period.
Democratic nominee Caroline Gleich raised $352,000 from July through September. All but $11,500 came from individual donors.
- More than half of Gleich's donations have come from small-dollar contributions of less than $200.
- Gleich has raised just over $1 million during the current election cycle.
Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, who finished second in the GOP primary, has spent $1.1 million on his campaign.
Former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, the third-place Republican primary finisher, spent a whopping $4,675,868 on his campaign.
- Wilson loaned his campaign a total of $3 million.
Pest control CEO Jason Walton, who received just 6% of the vote in the GOP primary, spent $2.7 million on his campaign.
- Walton raised just over $2.9 million. However, $2.5 million of that cash was money he loaned to his campaign.
CD1
Republican incumbent Rep. Blake Moore has outraised Democratic nominee Bill Campbell by more than 18-1.
- More than 60% of the $2.2 million Moore has raised has come from political action committees.
- Just $3,997 of Moore's campaign cash is from contributors who gave $200 or less.
- Democrat Bill Campbell has completely self-funded his campaign, contributing $124,000.
CD2
Between last year's special election to replace former Rep. Chris Stewart and the 2024 race, Republican Celeste Maloy has raised more than $1.7 million, with more than 90% coming from large donors and political action committees.
- Maloy's largest single donor is the Value in Electing Women PAC, which has donated $35,000.
- Maloy has received large donations from the leadership PACs affiliated with House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik.
Democrat Nathaniel Woodward has not raised or spent enough to require filing a campaign finance disclosure.
CD3
The race for the GOP nomination was not as expensive as the U.S. Senate donnybrook, but candidates still poured nearly $5.5 million into the race to replace outgoing Rep. John Curtis.
- State Sen. Mike Kennedy, the GOP nominee, raised $188,000 from individuals in the three months between July and September. During that same period, Kennedy reeled in nearly as much from political action committees—$134,000. He has $206,000 on hand.
- Kennedy still owes his 2018 U.S. Senate campaign $420,000. He can repay that loan with campaign contributions.
Democratic nominee Glenn Wright has raised just $47,733 on his campaign and has about $4,000 left over.
CD4
Rep. Burgess Owens's campaign raises a lot of money but spends most of it. In the 2023-2024 election cycle, Owens raised nearly $1.4 million and spent almost $1.3 million.
- From July to September, his campaign raised over $285,000.
- Nearly 3/4 of contributions to Owens's campaign during the current cycle came from out-of-state donors.
Democratic nominee Katrina Fallick-Wang has raised just $3,700 since January.
Running under the United Utah Party banner, Vaughn Cook raised a little more than 9,000 from July to September. He has $249 in the bank.
Other office holders
Sen. Mike Lee's fundraising exploded in the third quarter of the year. Lee pulled in more than $1.5 million in donations, more than double the total contributions to his campaign in the previous 18 months.
Sen. Mitt Romney, who is leaving office in December, reported no contributions.
