Anne-Marie winning over more individual donors in Utah House 37 race

In what Utah Policy has called a “battle royale,” Utah’s 37th legislative district is shaping up to be a race between a political insider and a grassroots supported campaign.

Anne-Marie Lampropoulos, running for her first elective office, says she’s relying more heavily on individual contributions to fund her race, while her opponent is funded mostly by special interests.

Bob Bernick, Utah Policy contributing editor, says the race could cost as much as $100,000, making it one of the “most expensive” races in Utah history (and I assume, though he didn’t make it clear, that he’s referring to races for the state legislature).

As of August 31, the latest filing deadline, Lampropoulos had raised $63,327.32, of which the large majority–65%–came from individuals. Touting an approach to politics beyond partisanship, Lampropoulos says that in the race to raise funds from individuals instead of special interests, she’s taken a clear lead.

This chart, distributed by the “Elect Anne-Marie Lampropoulos” campaign, groups the largest groups of supporters who have donated as of August 31, 2012, the most recent financial disclosure deadline. The red portion indicates that the largest group of Moss donors are special interests, politicians, and corporations. The blue portion indicates that the largest group of donors to Lampropoulos are private individuals. Information can be verified by review of candidates financial disclosures.

“No party has a monopoly on good ideas,” said Lampropoulos. “It doesn’t matter if you’re conservative, liberal or somewhere in between, I will listen.”

In contrast, her opponent, two-term incumbent Carol Spackman Moss, had raised $33,750.16, the large majority–60% by Lampropoulos’ calculation–of it coming from corporations, other politicians, and special interests.

With more individual donors and more donations, Lampropoulos argues that she has better and broader support and is more free to represent constituents, not special interests, on Capitol hill. That’s why, she told Bernick, that she doesn’t plan asking her family or the Utah Republican Party for help.

Despite being married to Salt Lake business leader and long-time Republican supporter Fred Lampropoulos and having close connections to the Utah Republican Party (her brother is Thomas Wright), Anne-Marie says she’s planning on raising the funds herself. To date, her filings show that she’s been very successful, with only about 35% of donations coming from non-individuals sources. Some donations come from realtor and banking lobbyists, as well as the typical amount that county and state Republican Parties give to all of their candidates.

“I’m not planning; don’t think I’ll need” to draw on family funds nor on a lot of state GOP cash, Bernick reports her saying.

Meanwhile, Moss’ donors list is heavily supplied with corporations, lobbyists, and other politicians. Among Moss’ donors are:

Pacificorp/Pacific Power/Rocky Mt. Power
Committee for a Democratic Majority
1-800-Contacts, Inc
America First Development Fund
Equality Utah PAC
Zions Bancorporation Political Action Committee
State Senator Patricia Jones
Campaign to Elect Marie Poulson
Committee to Elect Ross Romero
United Transportation Union PAC

To her credit, Senator Pat Jones does live in Moss’ district. In fact, Senator Jones recently showed up at a Republican cottage meeting held for Lampropoulos and is reported by other attendees to have quizzed her on developing education issues in the state legislature. Lampropoulos stood her ground.

“As a mother with children in public schools,” said Lampropoulos, “I know we have the duty to ensure that education funding makes it all the way to the students so that our children will have smaller classes and a first-class education.”

[Utah Policy][Carol Spackman Moss financial report][Anne-Marie Lampropoulos financial report]