Pignanelli blames loss on Rocky's spending

Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson won a close re-election campaign last month, besting challenger Frank Pignanelli 54 percent to 46 percent.

But Anderson clobbered Pignanelli in the campaign spending category, outspending his fellow Democrat two to one on his way to the most expensive election campaign in city history.

And that spending, Pignanelli said Thursday, may have altered the outcome of the election.

All told, Anderson spent $769,000 on his campaign — twice Pignanelli's total of $385,000, according to campaign finance disclosure reports filed Thursday. The numbers could increase slightly as late-breaking bills come due.

All that spending left Pignanelli thinking he may have won if the two candidates had spent equal amounts.

"(The spending) had a big impact I believe," Pignanelli said. "And he has now become part of the problem. He's complained about money in politics for so long, and now he's the poster child for why we need campaign finance reform."

In 1999, Anderson pledged to live by the city's voluntary spending limits, with a lid of $375,000, and complied with the spirit of those limits by exceeding them by just $12,000. In his re-election bid this year, however, Anderson abandoned that plan and waged the most expensive campaign in city history, gaining some critics along the way who cried hypocrisy.

"Rocky has fallen under the same spell as other politicians, which is they will do anything to get elected," Pignanelli said.

Over the past month, Pignanelli has heard many reasons why he lost the race — the snowstorm and close pre-election polls that energized Anderson supporters — but spending was likely most important of all.

"There are still 800,000 reasons that have to be added onto that. You can't ignore that," he said.

Anderson did not return calls Thursday for comment about the reports.

Pignanelli did outraise and outspend the mayor during the last reporting period, from Oct. 25 to Thursday. During that period, which included the final 11 days leading up to the election, Pignanelli raised $87,000 and spent $137,000. Anderson, on the other hand, raised $72,000 and spent $122,000.

During the final days of the campaign, Pignanelli spent thousands for television ads and consultants. Anderson similarly purchased television spots in the final days but also paid more than $44,000 for a direct mailing campaign, according to the reports.