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Democrat Ben McAdams raised twice as much money in the last three months as Mark Crockett, his Republican challenger for Salt Lake County mayor.
A state senator and advisor to Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, McAdams also enters the campaign's final two months with an account balance double that of his GOP foe, according to campaign financial disclosures filed Monday with the Salt Lake County Clerk. While Crockett's campaign had $74,685 in the bank as of Saturday, McAdams had $150,042.
With 709 contributors pitching in, McAdams raised $277,039 since mid-June, the last reporting deadline. That raises his year-to-date total to $571,298. By contrast, Crockett brought in $135,209 from 140 contributors during that period, boosting his campaign total to $297,524.
While the McAdams disclosure statement is loaded with donations of $10 or $25 per person, the average individual contribution the past three months was almost $400. Lifting that average were 13 contributions of $6,000, the maximum allowed in local government races. Those donations came from individuals ranging from Gastronomy restaurants owner John Williams and real estate developer Kem Gardner's family foundation to political activist Deb Sawyer and management consultant James Swartz.
Crockett, managing director of Vici Capital Partners, had depended largely on his own financial resources through his Republican primary victory over West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder in late June. In that race, he kicked in $84,500 of his campaign total of $112,000.
He continued to dip into his own pocket during this reporting period, contributing another $20,000 to the campaign. But he generated much more outside support in the past three months.
Crockett's leading corporate backers were C.R. England Trucking Company, which made two donations totaling $7,500, and the Sinclair Cos., which invested $6,000 in the Republican candidate, the same amount contributed by homemakers Leah Mitchell and Rebecca Dowdell and student Elise Peterson.
Not only did McAdams outdo Crockett in raising funds, he also spent a lot more money. McAdams' report listed expenses of almost $225,000 in the past three months compared to $78,000 for Crockett. Year-to-date, the Democrat has outspent the Republican $421,000 to $223,000.
McAdams is hoping to succeed Peter Corroon, who is not seeking a third term as county mayor, one of the few high-profile elected positions held by a Democrat.
His party colleague, Jim Bradley, is seeking to hold onto his at-large County Council seat against a challenge from Republican Joseph Demma, communications director of the Utah Department of Workforce Services.
Bradley reported 95 contributions worth $23,550 this period, while Demma got $13,710 from 38 individuals or companies. Demma's largest benefactors were the Salt Lake County Republican Party, which pitched in $6,000 and GOP Gov. Gary Herbert, who contributed $2,500.
Bradley's biggest donors, at $2,000 apiece, were Corroon's political action committee, businessman Robert Steiner and Roger Kehr, a logistics coordinator for the federal government.
The council's District 4 race is the most competitive from a fundraising perspective. The Democrats again enjoyed an edge with Sam Granato collecting $24,319 to $21,996 for Republican Missy Larsen. She outspent him during the past three months ($21,500 to $17,5000), but Granato heads into the stretch run with $16,000 in the bank to $4,200 for Larsen.
Few funds were raised in two other council races.
Republican incumbent Michael Jensen took in $10,000 for his District 2 race, while his Democratic opponent, former legislator Brent Goodfellow, reported no donations.
And in District 6, the $750 added to the campaign coffers of Democrat Paul Recanzone exceeded incumbent Max Burdick's $500 total. But the Republican still has almost $8,000 in the bank, while Recanzone has just $1,100.
Twitter: @sltribmikeg —
Heading into the home stretch
With the Nov. 6 election less than two months away, the candidates for Salt Lake County mayor have raised almost $900,000 and spent nearly $650,000.
Ben McAdams, Democrat
Raised* • $571,298
Spent* • $421,283
Left • $150,015
Mark Crockett, Republican
Raised* • $297,524
Spent* • $222,839
Left • $74,685
*Reflects contributions and expenditures from early April to mid-September
Source: Candidate disclosure forms