This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
While the astonishing flow of donations to Democrat Kathie Allen hasn't stopped since she launched her congressional bid four months ago, it has decidedly slowed.
For a while, the first-time candidate was riding high. She'd had a bombshell campaign launch. She received national attention. And she raised about $400,000 in a matter of days.
Then, in early May, U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz announced his early resignation.
"If I'm honest," Allen said, "I do realize that part of the motivation for the early fundraising was the extreme dissatisfaction with the role that Chaffetz was playing on the Government Oversight Committee and a strong desire of people around the country to see him replaced."
Without her Republican rival in office, Allen's fundraising has lost its fuel, taking a sizable hit (though she's still financially leagues ahead of all other candidates in the special election race to replace Chaffetz). By the end of March — her first filing — Allen had amassed a surprising haul of $564,000. By the end of June — her second report — she raised about 20 percent of that, raking in nearly $115,500.
Allen, a Cottonwood Heights resident and 63-year-old physician, said she expected the numbers to slide with Chaffetz's departure and isn't worried that the congressman not seeking re-election might hurt her fundraising efforts. In fact, along with "a lot of factors," Allen takes "a little bit of credit for his decision to step down." Her campaign put pressure on the congressman, she said, until he "realized it was a real race."
Chaffetz balked at the suggestion. "She needs her head examined," he said. "That's flat out delusional."
The congressman, who now works as a Fox News contributor, departed office midterm to spend more time with his family, he has said.
Most of Allen's money rolled in shortly after Chaffetz appeared on national television in March and remarked that "rather than get that new iPhone," low-income Americans may have to prioritize spending on health care. Though he later sought to clarify the comment, angry people from across the country jumped on the fundraising site CrowdPac and flooded Allen's page with contributions.
The attention she received from that supposed snafu, including airtime on the Rachel Maddow show and a shoutout from television star Rosie O'Donnell, "propped her up," Chaffetz said. He doesn't believe the money and fanfare is any indication Allen will win in one of the reddest districts in the nation.
Allen, obviously, disagrees. She is putting her time and energy into campaigning — including spending some of the money she has raised.
She doled out roughly $59,000 for billboards and $23,000 for polling, according to her most recent quarterly filing. Her total expenses, with salaries and consulting fees, come in at nearly $194,000 (including a pending amendment from her staffers, who met a technical "glitch" in submitting the report to the Federal Election Commission and filed a few days late).
Still, Allen has more than double the cash on hand — $478,700 — than her closest GOP rival.
While the three Republican candidates duke it out in the Aug. 15 primary, Allen has already secured a spot on the general election ballot after winning her party's nomination at the June convention for the 3rd Congressional District.
Meanwhile, more donations continue to flow in.
Twitter: @CourtneyLTanner