Hatch campaign rolling in dough

When you're running for the U.S. Senate and House, it's good to have a lot of campaign cash.

And at least Utah incumbents running for re-election certainly have the money, new filings with the Federal Election Commission show.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who seeks a record-setting 36 years in the Senate, has $2.5 million in the bank. He's raised money over the past year like never before, says his campaign manager, Dave Hansen.

Hatch is facing Democrat Pete Ashdown, who has raised just under $100,000 and lent his campaign around $60,000 so far.

Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, has $1 million, about where he was in June 2004 before his re-election two years ago, reports show.

State Rep. LaVar Christensen, R-Draper, is the Republican trying to knock Matheson out of office this year. A lawyer/developer, Christensen is worth between $5.75 million and $26.75 million, according to his personal financial filings with the U.S. House.

Christensen says he will spend some of his own money on the race, although he steadfastly refuses to say how much.

His new report shows he's lent his campaign $150,000 so far. Including his own cash, Christensen, who did not have a primary, has raised $265,000. He's spent $162,000 and has more than $100,000 in cash on hand. A number of his individual donations come from fellow GOP Utah House members and former Republican candidates in Matheson's 2nd Congressional District.

Matheson has raised $1.3 million since his last campaign and spent $361,000. He spent more than $2 million on his 2004 re-election, records show.

It's tough for challengers to raise political action committee money. And Christensen has only $10,000 in PAC donations, all from Hatch's own PAC.

Matheson has raised $817,000 from PACs. But when Matheson voted for a foreign trade agreement this spring, big labor unions said they'd boycott his campaign. And his new report shows over the last three months he's only received $2,000 from labor PACs, not counting government employee PACs.

As in previous elections, Matheson is getting strong support from fellow Democratic U.S. House members. Including a $2,000 donation from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Matheson received $16,000 from Democratic colleagues over the past three months.

In the other big race this year, Rep. Chris Cannon , R-Utah, ended up doing a fine job of fund raising in his tough challenge from fellow Republican John Jacob.

Through the June 27 GOP primary — where Cannon ended up easily defeating Jacob — Cannon raised $969,000. He spent $864,000. A millionaire like Jacob, Cannon has donated $136,000 to his own race.