Payday lenders are generous to Shurtleff

Sum is fourth of total he has raised for campaign

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff seeks a third four-year term this year, and he's looked to some old friends for much of his campaign fundraising — like payday loan operators who charge an average of 500 percent interest annually.

Shurtleff, 50, is a conservative GOP attorney general who at times angered core Republicans over his more liberal stands, like including gays in hate crimes laws and opposing Amendment 3, which banned same-sex marriages in Utah.

Shurtleff raised $38,400 from payday loan owners this year, about $1 of every $4 given to him, according to new financial disclosure forms required before Shurtleff faces renomination at Saturday's Republican State Convention in Orem.

Shurtleff raised $161,625 in 2008, leading among candidates for attorney general, auditor and treasurer. Next best fundraiser was state Rep. Mark Walker, R-Sandy, who is running for state treasurer. He raised $46,605.

The attorney general has also received a $50,000 donation from IWorks, nearly a third of all his donations. IWorks is an Internet firm whose CEO, Jeremy Johnson, donated a house for "Lost Boys," an outreach program that Shurtleff supports for young men who leave polygamous families.

Shurtleff also took $35,000 from Bloosky Inc., a Provo Internet firm whose top brass Shurtleff has also gotten to know. "When you run for re-election, you ask supporters for money, which is what I did," Shurtleff said.

He accepted $5,000 from 1-800 Contacts, a contact lens firm that in recent years has been giving more and more to Utah political races and, as a lobbyist, has entertained Utah legislators at expensive events.

Shurtleff became a poster boy for the payday lender trade with his support of its organizations. Earlier this year a group of payday loaners organized their own fundraiser for Shurtleff.

"It was a reception where I spoke," Shurtleff said, acknowledging that payday loan businesses welcome and appreciate his stands on their legal business operations.

In January of this year Shurtleff spoke in favor of payday loaners before a debate at the University of Utah, arguing that banning payday loans here (as has been done in a few states) would take away an option that allows people with poor credit "to avoid bankruptcy, repossessions and welfare. That would be immoral: not to give people that opportunity" of a payday loan.

In February 2007 Shurtleff accepted free round trip airfare from the payday loan association to speak before its convention in the Bahamas. Shurtleff decided to take his family on that occasion, paying for his wife and kids himself, the attorney general said. He said he did nothing wrong in accepting that trip. "I accept airfare from various groups when I fly out to speak to them."

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