This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2004, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

WASHINGTON - Utah's political players have contributed more than $4.3 million to candidates up for election in 2004.

That might be little more than a very good night at a posh fund-raiser for President Bush or John Kerry, but the figure already has surpassed the total contributed by individuals in any previous election, with more than two months remaining in the campaign, reflecting the nationwide trend toward more and more money in politics.

Nationwide, in excess of $1 billion already has been spent by presidential and congressional campaigns, and it's still well before Labor Day, which traditionally has marked the kickoff of campaign season.

The push to raise more money could mean increased activity and more pressure on donors in Utah and other less populous states, said Kent Cooper, vice president of Political Moneyline, a group that tracks money in politics.

The old way of fund raising was for a candidate to stage a big-ticket cocktail party or dinner in a major metropolitan area, but since the new campaign finance laws prohibit the unlimited soft money contributions, that is not as profitable as it once was.

I think you're seeing a change, Cooper said. Now the effort is to go out to these people in direct mail or telemarketing or Internet, and the size of the population really doesn't matter. The cost is about the same anywhere in [the] country. So you actually might see more contact and more soliciting being done in [Utah] because of technology.

Alyson Bell raised money for several Utah Republican candidates before becoming an aide to then-Gov. Mike Leavitt, now the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Bell says that while Utah races generally cost less than those in other, larger states, raising money also can be more challenging.

There's a very small pond to raise federal money from . . . so you kind of have to go to the well for the same people every time, said Bell. A lot of times when we call people, they say, 'OK, who are you calling for this time?'

If that is true of Republicans, woe to the Democratic fund-raisers, who have about half as many backers from whom they can draw.

That makes someone like Bruce Bastian unique. Bastian co-founded WordPerfect and rode the software firm to a vast fortune. He is the second-largest political donor in the state thus far in the 2004 election cycle, Federal Election Commission records show.

I look for people who respect me as a human being, said Bastian, who is gay. I hate the word gay rights, because it's much more than that. It's just equality, and if they are with me on those issues, I will give, and if not, I will do everything I can to beat them.

He has contributed $86,000 to Democratic causes and candidates, including Kerry, Rep. Jim Matheson, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and his favorite cause, the Human Rights Campaign, which has led efforts to block a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

If I can find a candidate who will fight for my right to be who I am, then I will support that candidate, he said. I try to be bipartisan. It's hard when the Republican Party is at times so hateful. I support Democrats more than I support Republicans because they support me more than Republicans.

Federal campaign law limits individual contributions to $2,000 per phase of the election. But the real money came from Utahns with large families or business partners who combined their muscle to boost a candidate.

None did this better than Robert Lichfield and his partners in the Worldwide Association of Specialty Programs and Teen Help.

The group runs residential therapy programs for troubled teens in Utah, New York, Mexico and Jamaica.

The schools have been a lightning rod. Students have claimed a pattern of abuse in the schools and investigations are reportedly under way at several facilities, although the schools tout their record of success.

Lichfield and his immediate family combined to give $94,000 to Republican candidates since 2003. They gave comparable amounts in the 2002 election.

Add in Lichfield's business partners, and the Teen Help group has contributed at least $168,500 to campaigns since 2003.

The primary recipient has been John Swallow's congressional campaign, although money also has gone to U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett's re-election bid and the state and national Republican parties.

Likewise, the Reagan family, which owns and operates Reagan National Advertising, gave at least $125,000, with money going to the Republican National Committee, the Bush-Dick Cheney ticket, Bennett, Swallow and Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson, Swallow's opponent.

Billboard companies across the country are watching as Congress bickers over approval of a new, six-year transportation bill.

In the past, there have been some efforts to restrict the placement of the roadside signs.

Neither Lichfield nor William Reagan returned phone calls to discuss their political giving.

The Salt Lake Tribune compiled campaign donor information from FEC records and figures assembled by Political Moneyline and the Center for Responsive Politics.

Other findings include:

l Utah Democrats have been much more willing to open their wallets for Kerry than for former Vice President Al Gore. Gore raised $28,050 in Utah leading up to the 2000 election. Records show Kerry already has raised $206,532 in the state.

l Bush also has already eclipsed his fund raising for the 2000 race, in which he raised $320,041 in the state. Thus far, the Bush campaign has raised $454,434.

l The Bush campaign reports two Utahns have raised the $100,000 needed to qualify as a "Pioneer" fund-raiser. They are sportsman activist Don Peay and businessman Tim Bridgewater, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the 2nd Congressional District seat. Nobody from Utah has raised $100,000 for Kerry. John Price, who was a Pioneer for Bush in the 2000 campaign and a leading donor in the state, was appointed by the president to be ambassador of Mauritius, Seychelles and Comoros.

l In the past two elections, Republicans have raised $2 for every $1 raised by Democrats in Utah, and Republicans are on track to continue the trend.

l Executives of Zions Bancorp contributed almost $100,000 to federal candidates and the bank's political action committee. The PAC has primarily focused its resources on Utah legislative candidates, but has also contributed money to Matheson, Swallow, U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch and the Utah Democratic Party.

l The Rawle family, founders of the fast-growing Provo company Softwise, combined to contribute $96,000, giving mostly to Republicans, but also contributing to Matheson and other conservative Democrats.