Robert B. Lichfield is the single largest individual donor to Republicans in Utah, giving at least $212,000 to GOP politicians since 2003. He is also No. 6 on the overall list of individual Utah donors.

He is the owner of Teen Help, which operates sometimes controversial treatment facilities, schools and other programs for troubled teens.

An example of how his donations may bring influence is that in 2004, Utah House Speaker Marty Stephens blocked floor consideration of a bill opposed by Lichfield that would have brought state regulation to his boarding schools for troubled teens.

Six days after the legislative session ended, Lichfield donated $30,000 to Stephens' campaign for governor. (Lichfield, however, donated to several other gubernatorial candidates that year, including Huntsman, Nolan Karras and Jim Hansen.)

The extended family, businesses and employees of Lichfield make him even more influential. As a group, they donated at least $346,000 since 2003 — the sixth most of any such extended family/business grouping in the state.

John Price

Price, No. 8 on the top individual donor list, giving at least $142,000 since 2003, may be the most interesting because he has never been shy about saying that his donations bring influence (although he did not respond to inquiries this year).

Price was one of the nation's largest developers of shopping centers. He said in a 1996 interview about his big political donations, "How would you know about me without those donations? You wouldn't. Others may have a lot of knowledge. But if they don't donate, too, no one's going to counsel with them and no one cares."

He noted that when he called Cabinet members with ideas, they would listen — and would visit with him whenever they passed through Utah.

A bigger payoff came in 2001 when President Bush nominated him as ambassador to Mauritius, the Seychelles and the Comoros Republic — despite his lack of diplomatic experience. The appointment came after Price had raised more than $1.3 million for Bush's 2000 election. He has since resigned his ambassadorship and declines to publicly say why he left the post.

Ian Cumming

Ian Cumming is No. 19 on the list of individual Utah donors with at least $83,800, while his extended family and businesses are No. 8 as a group with at least $300,777. His political giving is interesting because he technically is no longer a Utahn.

He moved his primary residence to Wyoming in 1998 but still lists Utah addresses on many of his donations. Only these were counted in the current analysis. Cumming for years was the top donor in Utah and continues to support many Democratic candidates and causes in the state.