Donors: Big firms are generous to incumbents

Sometimes special interest donations allowed lawmakers to put money directly into their own pockets. For example, Dougall gave himself $10,314 to repay an old campaign loan he had made. (He faces no opposition Saturday.) Herrod, who does have opposition, similarly took $5,000 to repay himself for old loans.

Forms also show that the Utah Republican Party — which by its own rules is supposed to remain neutral in contested elections — donated money to two incumbents who face challenges on Saturday.

The party gave $200 to Sumsion and $225 to Rep. Mike Morley, R-Spanish Fork, both made on Jan. 12. That's before the candidate filing deadline, before the men knew for sure that another Republican was seeking their seats. So while the party didn't violate the letter of that rule by giving early, because of the lawmakers' votes on vouchers and other controversial issues, it may have been a good bet that they would have intra-party challengers.

Ever since the 1980s, the Senate GOP PAC has given money to its incumbents before convention and/or primary elections — so in effect that PAC, run by Senate leaders, has given money to incumbents who are challenged by other Republicans.

Earlier this month, House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, told his GOP caucus that the House Republican PAC would give money to incumbents who are being challenged within the party — a new policy for House GOP leaders, who used to give money only after the Republican nominees were picked.

House leaders gave Sumsion and Herrod $1,000 each, while Grover, Frank and Daw each got $500 — donations that of course GOP legislative leaders did not give to the Republicans who are challenging those incumbents.

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