Hatch raises $1 million in 3 months

U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch may well have set a new campaign fund-raising record: More than $1 million raised in three months.

Although Federal Election Commission campaign finance reports for July, August and September are due Sunday, several congressional candidates filed Friday. And those who did not had at least enough information to provide a snapshot of their financial preparedness for the final weeks of the campaign.

Hatch's total far outdistanced all other candidates in any Utah congressional race, including Democratic challenger Pete Ashdown. Not surprisingly, incumbents raised more money than challengers.

Hatch has $2.8 million is cash, and over the last six years has raised just more than $6 million, his filing shows.

But it's what he's done since June that is most impressive. In a late August fund raiser with President Bush in the Grand America Hotel, Hatch raised $550,000, said Dave Hansen, Hatch's campaign manager.

"I don't think any candidate has done that before in Utah," said Hansen, who has run a number of Utah and national campaigns over the years.

Including that event, Hatch raised $1.2 million over the last three months, the FEC report shows, with $721,000 of that coming from individuals and the rest from political action committees. That money is being used to pay for his campaign, donate to other candidates and help raise money for a statewide get-out-the-vote effort that could help many GOP candidates.

Ashdown's numbers were not available as of press time Friday.

Still, Ashdown played the limited funding to his advantage during the Bush visit. The night before the Hatch fund-raiser, Ashdown had his own, ostensibly free fund-raiser at the Alta Club — which he paid for himself — in which he simply asked attendees to donate money to a charity of their choice.

In the 2nd District, which was forecast as the most expensive race, significant money is coming into Republican challenger LaVar Christensen's campaign. The only problem is that much of that cash is coming from his own pocket, as the multi-millionaire developer/attorney has donated $340,000 to his campaign.

The largest single donor is actually Hatch, who has given Christensen $10,000 through his PAC.

Christensen's complete numbers were also unavailable Friday.