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SALT LAKE CITY — Republican Rep.-elect Mia Love raised more than $5 million in her race to defeat Democrat Doug Owens, according to postelection financial disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Love's campaign manager, Dave Hansen, said her fundraising total may be a record for a House race in Utah. She collected only about half that much, nearly $2.3 million, in her 2012 bid to unseat now-retiring Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.
"I can't imagine more money being raised," Hansen said. "We had a very, very, very good fundraising organization. We worked at it hard and spent time building it, and it paid off."
Owens' filing showed he ended up collecting nearly $861,000 in his effort to keep the seat in Democratic hands. When Love takes office in January, every member of Utah's congressional delegation will be a Republican.
"We raised about ($850,000), which in any normal race would be a respectable amount. But this was not a normal race," said Steve Owens, the candidate's brother and campaign treasurer.
Hansen said Love's fundraising haul is a result of her following from her high-profile race against Matheson two years ago that brought her national attention, including a prime-time speaking slot at the 2012 Republican National Convention.
The bulk of Love's money came from out-of-state donors, who contributed an average of less than $61, Hansen said. He said there were 36,000 names on her donor list, more than most Senate campaigns.
"There was obviously some uniqueness in the race, the fact that she was going to be the first black Republican female member of the House. That was a draw," Hansen said, as well as her speaking skills.
"She is a very dynamic speaker. You put her in front of a group of people and they're impressed with her. They want to do what they can to help her," Hansen said.
And Love, a former Saratoga Springs mayor, appeared to have a good chance of winning the state's 4th District seat in Congress after losing it to Matheson two years ago by just 768 votes, Hansen said.
"Obviously, it looked like she was going to be a winning candidate," he said. "That proved to be true."
Owens, a corporate defense attorney, has said he may challenge Love again in 2016. His report showed he spent about $1,000 more than he raised, a debt he said has been repaid.
Love has close to $200,000 left after paying campaign bills, Hansen said.
While spending was high in the 4th District race, special interest groups from outside Utah poured millions of dollars two years ago into what was one of the most hotly contested races in the country.
This election, the focus nationally was on the Republican effort to retake control of the U.S. Senate and little attention was paid to a House race without an incumbent in GOP-dominated Utah.
