Ashdown far from spending limit

When Democrat Pete Ashdown decided to challenge well-entrenched U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, this year, he signed a federal document saying he wouldn't spend more than $500,000 of his own money.

Ashdown, the millionaire founder and owner of XMission, an Internet service firm, is a frugal guy. And it appears he will be one zero short on that $500,000 figure.

He's put only $38,015 into his campaign so far and promises another $10,000 before Election Day.

"I'm paying the salaries of my (paid) campaign workers," Ashdown said Monday. There are six of them. While encouraged that his fund raising tripled in July, August and September to a total $193,000, Ashdown was financially squashed by Hatch's record fund-raising — more than $6 million since his last re-election in 2000 and $1.2 million in just the last three months, new reports show.

Ashdown has $14,217 in cash; Hatch has $2.8 million.

Sunday was the latest filing deadline for the Federal Election Commission. Some candidates filed early and/or gave their new FEC reports to the Deseret Morning News last week.

Ashdown filed Saturday, as did several others.

Oddly enough, Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, has loaned his campaign more than Ashdown has. Second District GOP candidate state Rep. LaVar Christensen, R-Draper, has also lent his campaign more than Ashdown has.

Cannon had a tough intra-party primary challenge from millionaire John Jacob. Cannon defeated Jacob in the June 27 GOP primary in the 3rd District, loaning his campaign $138,000 along the way.

Cannon has raised $1.1 million since his 2004 re-election and has spent just over $1 million. He has $61,792 in cash.

His opponent, Democrat Christian Burridge, may well have filed his written report on time, but it was not yet in the FEC's electronic database Monday. His aides told the Morning News that he will have only around $5,000 in cash.

In the 2nd District, Utah's only Democratic congressman, Rep. Jim Matheson, has raised $1.6 million, spent $676,000 and has $1.1 million in cash. His GOP opponent, Christensen, has raised $696,000, spent $398,000 and has just under $300,000 in cash. Christensen, also a millionaire, has loaned his campaign $490,000.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, has raised $274,000 in two years, spent $133,000 and has $156,903 in cash.

His Democratic opponent, Steve Olsen, has raised $53,000, spent $46,000 and has $7,000 in cash. Olsen has loaned his campaign $31,042.

Ashdown was hoping that any number of Internet leaders would give to his campaign because of what Ashdown says is Hatch's poor record in supporting various high-tech businesses and concepts.

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